


LockerAU

by whimstories



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Pining, Romance, Skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-04-27 13:25:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 33,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14426352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whimstories/pseuds/whimstories
Summary: Marinette transferred high schools for her final year and, apparently, her locker partner is a big fan of her inline skating, but she can't find out who it is. Then Adrien Agreste, her lazy, stuck up skateboarding rival, is in all her classes and won't leave her alone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired Prompt: “Hey i didnt have time to get a partner for a locker and now i got a randomized partner and we’ve never met but i know they skateboard and- holy shit that’s a picture of me taped to the inside of the door” au
> 
> A/N: If you’ve never heard of slalom skating, its super incredible. I almost want this to be a love letter to the sport; it brings a smile to my face. Mari’s style is inspired by the female skater Feng Hui. 
> 
> Alright, goal of this story is Flirting, Fun, and Flow. Mostly, flow because I need to work on pacing. 
> 
>  Edit: Fixed tense issues. 
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

* * *

 

"Look at it," Alya intoned, shaking her head then inhaling deeply. "It even smells like printed money in here."

"Alya, please." Marinette shook her head before rolling through the rather grand double doors of their new high school. The sun is bright and there was a certain crispness to the air on this side of town, she admitted, but she wouldn't say it was monetary. Alya had complained since she caught her on her route, which shouldn't have been a surprise considering her particular enthusiasm insulting their alleged 'rival school'.

Marinette's pinafore blew in the wind, blue ruffles waving to passerby's, and her hair was wrapped in double buns, because she habitually hit people at its current length. She didn't mind the school change— though Alya argued she had the most reason to mind— so long as she could skate on the grounds to start off her mornings.

"I bet they have a pool just to hoard that extra coin."

"Stop it," Marinette chuckled.

"Or even a room of exotic zoo animals."

"Maybe, we're the exotic zoo animals. It's all one big conspiracy," Marinette wiggled her fingers towards Alya.

Alya snapped her fingers, it traveled through the halls in a wonderful echo. "Excellent point. We won't even have classes. Just a glass room with blocks, crayons, and Jigsaw sitting in the corner for suspense."

"You're really being too dramatic about this." Marinette was craning her head around the building, having only visit once, looking for the lockers. She found the sign next to a set of stairs and glided over. She took quick practiced hops up the steps on her blades, not waiting for Alya because she should know to keep her pace. "Did you forget we went to middle school on this side of the city? We know over half the students in our grade."

"But we're like different people, gurl. We've seen the other side," she elaborated.

"What other side? We have the same curriculum, both schools are public, and we've skated with them for six years. What's honestly different about us?"

"Their snobbish personalities thinking they're better than us, that's what."

Marinette denied responding to the obvious hypocritical statement and to prevent encouraging her friend to recite more exciting differences between the two schools.

It was without question, Zag Lycée was grander than their last high school, Astruc Lycée, just on the other side of the city. Here the floors gleamed ivory, clearly waxed weekly, and the halls were supported by elegant pillars rather than hollow plaster columns housing colonies of bees. The streets leading up to the school are also better managed, with less littering and cracks in the ground. Her wheels might last longer this year because of the decreased in wear. But Alya was being ridiculous, just because of a silly rivalry between a small portion of the schools' populations.

She made a mental countdown of when she would go off again.

They reached the lockers, lined in four adjacent rows and standing tall—as opposed to those short stack lockers at the last school which only accommodated for two textbooks and a PB&J. However, this new luxury had a small condition.

"Ready to be buddies with the enemy?" Alya added.

"Fifteen-seconds," Marinette muttered. Alya shoved her, catching on, and Marinette drifted to the left a bit and laughed.

"What do you think your partner is like?"

"As long as they don't steal my skates, there's no problems."

Marinette glanced the inside of her wrist for her locker number and combination. Alya caught it. "You couldn't remember eight digits?" Alya teased, her brows raised .

Marinette jerked her arm back. "I didn't want to risk getting it wrong," she defended. Bringing the piece of paper that had the information guaranteed it was lost forever, and she almost forgot she would need a combination being on autopilot to go to her old school.

Alya tapped her back amicably, her eyes saying she always forgot the sort of klutz she is. Marinette found her locker in the back of the third row and input the combination. The metal ushered a soft click—ah, young lockers— when she pulled it open and glimpsed inside. It was empty, which she suspected meant her partner didn't need to use it yet or had not entered school grounds.

Marinette crouched to undo her skates. The left unbuckled in a crisp snap and she shimmied out when Alya exclaimed, "Oh my god, Mari, how many boys are in love with you?"

Marinette's head snapped up, brows merged together and looked in the direction of Alya's shout. Her eyes expand and blink wildly, like an owl attacked by a mouse and trying to decipher the situation.

"W-What is that?" Marinette stuttered.

"You don't remember what you look like? I think you look hot."

"You know wha—" Marinette cut herself off to grumble in her throat.

It was her, no doubt. Jumping, dancing, smiling at the skatepark in her blades and plastered in five to ten photos inside of the locker. The pictures were professional and well lit, many of them catching her in a trick without blurring. Secretly, she was impressed, but outwardly she was losing brain function.

"You know, I thought Luka had it bad, but this is a sickness. Or, shall I say, the 'love bug'," Alya waggled her brows.

An old pang hit her chest from mentioning her ex, but luckily the terrible pun overshadowed it. "I really hate that one."

Alya just laughed. "It's my favorite one, considering every male in the skate park is in love with our queen skater, Ladybug. I wonder how many other lockers have your pictures in them?"

"Not funny," Marinette sighed. She knew she was great at skating, she worked hard for it. Besides designing clothes, it was her only other good quality. She was also aware some skaters admired her skills at a distance _,_  but to come face to face as a locker partner was disorientating.

"You should ask them out," Alya said.

"It could be a girl," Marinette fired back.

"You've never tried girls." Alya looked on like it was the brightest idea she ever considered.

"Are you volunteering?" She raised her brow. Alya's brow twitched upwards at the challenge and she leaned forward until she was a hair's breadth away, her lips parted and larger chest bumping against hers. Marinette maintained a stoic expression then blew raspberries into her face.

Alya sputtered, jumping back and swiping her face, and laughed. "Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're gorgeous but clearly too mulish for me."

Marinate gave a smarmy smile and finished unbuckling her skates. She couldn't stop shifting her eyes back to the photos like a cobra in its nest while digging out her shoes and lunchbox from her bag. She wished there were other hints in the locker to the owner and perhaps she could have a peace of mind. She tossed her skates and lunchbox inside, determined to push it back for later.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Huge thanks to TOG84 and RoseGardenTwilight for being awesome cheerleaders and helping with dialogue!
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

Marinette walked across campus to find her first class. Alya was in the L series while Marinette chose the S series, so they had to trek the jungles of their new school alone. Marinette ran into three different sets of stairs, two dead ends, and one weird guy in a long coat, red eyes, and a smudged black eyeshadow—it was like walking through a fun house. What ever happened to one floor in one big building?

She landed in D-Block, part of the East building, where a formation of students lingered outside the doors to their locked classroom. They all leaned towards each other, a long history of friendship, and chattered about their activities during the summer. Marinette recognized a few faces from her time in Collège, waving as they happened to see her, and a few as faces that came to competitions. She leaned against a side wall with her hands in her skirt pockets , content to remain to herself, and settled her gaze towards the floor.

A sudden tingling hit the back of her neck. It was like an accidental touch, grating and insistent for more pressure. She swiped at it. When it didn't go away, she recognized the sensation as when she skated at the park, numerous eyes analyzing her movement. Mari scanned the crowd, most still in tittering conversation about their summer. A circle near the opposite side of the hall was gathered around a singular source. A small shift between two bodies created a part and revealed the object of their attention. Viridescent eyes lock onto hers. Marinette couldn't fight the groan.

Adrien Agreste, the resident skate boarding heartbreaker. She watched countless girls, and occasionally guys, line up like a conveyer belt just to burst their feelings and wind up in tears a minute later. Agreste was lounging like his world was made of rainbows and smiles in the aftermath. He was probably the only one that actually fits into Alya's misconception of the school.

She wouldn't care so much if not for the daily entourage that took up two-thirds of the skatepark. She can't count how many times a non-skater sprawled themselves on a vert ramp in front of a young skater and almost got them injured. She yelled at Agreste for it the first time and he had the audacity to be surprised. She was pretty sure Nino took care of it from that moment forward.

He startled when they caught eyes, eyes wide and incredulous. Because she was in the same class or the same school, she wasn't sure. Marinette gave a jerky wave, a simple greeting, and he gaped like she was a mirage he didn't expect to respond.

It wasn't an invitation but he took it as one, excusing himself from the circle and patting his way through the crowd. His confident long strides and golden hair under the florescent lights caught half the classes' eyes as he crossed to her. She furrowed her brows at the weirdly in sync reaction, its like he's an enchanter and everyone fell right under the spell.

"Isn't this a surprise," he greeted, lips fighting a smile, "Correct me if I'm wrong—"

"Gladly."

"—but you don't even go here." He was definitely grinning now from his reference and Mari raised her brow.

"I didn't get lost, if that's what you're suggesting."

"I would never." Adrien leaned against the wall now, getting much too comfortable. His body blocked their conversation from the rest of the group. "I'm quite happy you're here."

She looked at him dubiously, "Why is that?"

He titled his head. "You're not?"

"Well…" She dragged out the word. She glanced behind Adrien, razor glares of several female classmates raining in their direction. "I'm starting to think I won't come out of this school alive."

Adrien outright laughs now. "The rivalry is superficial. No one is going to do anything to you. "

It was in this moment Marinette realized Adrien Agreste had to be the most ignorant man to ever exist who couldn't conceptualize the raging initiative of the opposite sex when their love life is threatened.

"Those lioness will flank me like a wounded zebra."

"I could protect you," he leans into her space and she casually leans away, eyes half-lidded.

"In your dreams."

"Precisely," he perks. Marinette scrunches her nose and pinches his nose to push him away.

"My standards aren't that low,  _Chat Noir_. Keep the catnip between your legs."

"Come now, lets not dawdle!" The cheerful shout of their Physics teacher rang across the group. Marinette saw her unlock the front doors and began shuffling the students inside.

"Listen. I just need distance when we're at school. You might not understand, but I'm serious about my studies. " She jostled her backpack, catching Adrien's brow wrinkle, and ducked around him to move with the crowd. She was not going to feel guilty for telling him the truth, it was her right to be comfortable at the school as much as it was his.

There were several open seats and Marinette chose the front row next to the door. Her neighbor parked next to her and she was happy to recognize Max Kanté and praised the universe for the gift. Max was known as the tech and mathematics wiz at Collège and she hoped that remained the case.

Adrien wandered inside, taking his time, and she caught him pursuing around her area before his expression brightened. He walked passed her and she almost sighed, relieved, until a thump was behind her and she instantly turned. Adrien was unpacking his bag on the desk directly behind her. He glanced at her stare to wave. She saw several other open seats, definitely some of them being saved while classmates stared dreamily at him, but he chose right behind her. She squinted at him.

"It's not directly next to you, princess," he said with a terrible grin.

She couldn't find a sensible reason to respond. There was nothing he could do to hurt her grades by sitting there, laziness is not contagious, but it irked her just the same. "Fine," she fumed and turned around.

If he tugged her hair once, she was painting his board bright pink.

She was reminded of her neighbor and took up a conversation. She saw Max in the crowd of a few competitions, and he complimented her skills while she mentioned seeing his accomplishments in gaming tournaments. They were fast friends.

It was a two hour class but since it was the first, the material was simple. She whispered to Max now and again to keep the camaraderie. She learned he was better with numbers than concepts, but he promised to help her when he could. Now and again she felt an eerie prickling at her neck which made her shift in her seat. She had a feeling who it was, but giving him attention would make it doubly irritating.

At the end of class, she exchanged numbers with Max in case one of them missed a day. If she was lucky, she will have a few contacts for each class. She stuffed her belongings into her backpack and headed out the doors to hunt down Alya during rec.

"Marinette! Wait a second."

Adrien was behind her, hand gestured forward like he intended to grab hers but hastily brought it back when she caught him. She arched a brow and waited.

"Mind if I walked you to class?" He asked.

"You don't like listening to people, do you?" She wouldn't know since she was capable of keeping two sentences between them for two years. According to her observations, that deserved a medal of honor.

"Not without a good reason," he smiled.

She was ready to recite a hundred good reasons, with specific references and witness accounts, when a familiar girl walked behind him and latched to his arm like a leech.

"There you are, Adrien! I haven't seen you in weeks," the girl beamed with a sweet feminine tone. She was gorgeous to say the least. Long, smooth brown hair and tan skin, plus her eyes screamed mischief. He barely glanced at her. One-and-done Agreste struck again. "You have to tell me how you've been. Come on, we always walk to classes together." The girl tugged harder now, sending a haughty glance in Marinette's direction—she didn't ask for this, you know— and Adrien had to turn, stumbling from the force.

"Wait, Lila. I was going to—"

Marinette tuned them out when she caught sight of Alya downstairs and made her escape before Adrien could make his. If she was lucky, that girl will be reasonable enough to help keep him out of Marinette's hair for the rest of the year. She might salvage some allies after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I did some research into French Schools and I'm trying to be as accurate as I can with little liberations.
> 
> L Series = Literature majors
> 
> S Series = Science majors
> 
> ES Series = Economics/Business majors
> 
> Collège = Middle School


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I CANNOT thank enough Saccha and TOG84 for helping with this chapter. They gave me a lot of clarity and some fantastic lines. I'm learning so much from their help.
> 
> I thought this story would be a breeze but apparently that doesn't exist in writing. But every chapter after this should come out faster now that the foundation is set.
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

* * *

 

Her second class with Adrien was just as vexing as the first. It was Math and since she had more confidence in the subject, she felt victorious in securing a seat in the back. Unfortunately, Adrien practically clipped her heels as they walked through the doors and planted himself in the seat in front of her, making some inane comment about enjoying the view. A few girls gave her the evil-eye.

She stood a moment later to choose another spot, but everyone else was settled and she didn't have the option. She plopped back in her seat at which Adrien continued with his obnoxious leering smile until the teacher called everyone to look forward.

Whenever one of Adrien's admirers side-eyed her during lecture, of which there was thirteen, she came to the conclusion that if Agreste was a definitive integral, she would be the limit.

When the bells chimed for lunch, Marinette booked it before Adrien attempted to ask if she wanted a lovely tour of the campus, maybe un-creatively behind the bleachers or that one dark stack in the library.

Alya was lingering down the hall and waved her over to gleefully rehash her impression of the school after enduring her two hour philosophy block. She said they started off discussions with the enthralling concept of entitlement—the irony— and Alya had a few hundred opinions she wanted to unload, which made Marinette laugh so hard her paranoias didn't have the oxygen to survive the walk to the lockers.

Alya waited near the stairs as Marinette went to retrieve her lunch. She got as far as finishing the combination when a bang of shuddering thin metal echoed above her head. She jolted on the spot and raised her gaze to find a flat palm against the locker door. She followed the hand to its owners and, with a fragment of surprise, found the bright blonde sun with a face under it, staring at her.

"What, um, what are you doing?" Adrien asked.

Marinette looked upon him with as much respect as the dense question deserved. "Do tell, Adrien, what could I possibly be doing?" She regretted it instantly when he would be required to answer said question and not fly away to whatever nest he perched during lunch hour.

When he continued to stare like a lost baby bird with its feathers ruffled, she sighed and said, "Right. This is a locker, I store my things here, and I'm accessing it."

Adrien's features morphed to something uneasy. "This is—your locker?"

"I'm glad you kept up." Marinette swatted at Adrien's hand and was about to carry on when she finally remembered what was in the locker and froze. She narrowed her eyes towards Adrien. "Is this your locker, too?"

He jumped back like being near the locker put his life in danger. "N-no! I don't have a locker—well, I do, that would be silly. I'm with, um, Lila! I was just checking you had yours right."

Marinette's eyes widen. "What? Like I was stealing?"

"Of course not, princess, I meant—"

" _Don't_  call me princess." She had enough of whatever game Adrien was playing. They weren't friends and she wasn't interested, it's that simple. She grabbed her lunchbox, yanking and shutting the door fast enough so to prevent revealing the photos, and stomped back to Alya. She grabbed her hand and stormed down the stairs, out the building, and beyond school grounds.

"Hey, hey! What was that? You're finally talking with Adrien?" Alya exclaimed, sounding much to excited at the idea.

"More like he won't stop talking to me," Marinette grumbled. Marinette noticed she was still clutching Alya's arm and mumbled an apology before releasing it.

Alya rolled her eyes. "Seriously, gurl, I don't know how many more times I need to tell you he's a good guy."

"And I still don't understand why it should matter."

Alya scrutinized Marinette's face. "This is still about the jacket, isn't it?"

Marinette flushed. "That was two years ago."

"Yeah, it was," Alya sassed.

Marinette crossed her arms, her lunch bag scrunching in one hand.

"As first impressions go, it wasn't great," she retaliated.

"He's Nino's best friend, that has to count for something."

"He's Chloe's best friend, that counts for everything."

Alya groaned, pinching between her eyes. "Now that Nino and I are a thing, I want us all to hang out together. I'm sure the same goes for him with Adrien. Are you really going to snub and argue with him every single time?"

Marinette didn't think of it like that, and she had to swallow her excuses. She really didn't think of the jacket incident  _every_  time she looked at Adrien, but he never rose above the occasion either. She blamed her bad experiences with Chloe in middle school: how she bragged about Adrien in one breath while dragging Marinette through the mud with the next. Adrien without being introduced was a ready-to-ship male clone of Chloe in her mind; how could he be anything but?

She couldn't stand to admit it, but Alya had a point. She can't be angry all the time, she was better than this. Is better. She didn't have to tell him everything about her and he didn't have to earn her close friendship, but being civil was the least she could do.

"You're right. I-I could make some sort of effort," Marinette admitted. "A friendly 'Hello' or 'You're lucky you're pretty'."

"You really went for the lowest bar."

"I'm reaching for the bar, aren't I?" Marinette shoved at Alya's shoulder and retaliated the same.

Marinette is reminded of how grateful she is for her Alya's friendship and would do nearly anything for her. Being nice to Agreste really shouldn't feel as daunting as it does.

—

Wednesday arrived, and with it Marinette's opportunity to return to the skatepark.

Both schools had a district exemption for student skaters to cover for physical education. It was a hard won privilege, petitioned several years ago, under the condition that it was treated as a team sport and they had competitions five times a semester. As long as the P.E coaches showed up to log their practice and monitor the competitions, it was a pretty sweet gig.

Tikki Fu was the representative coach for Astruc, and Plagg Fu was the representative coach for Zag. Yes, they were married, and no, not a soul understood why when they were the least romantic people on the planet when it came to competition. Their shouts and insults towards each other could be heard three blocks away and would put grandmothers to an early grave.

Marinette put on her skates in the school courtyard before heading over to the park. The snaps on her skates, enclosing around her ankles, provided a sense of serenity after she was still getting use to the campus. She listened to the rustling of the grass around her and the sweet scent in the air, a strange sort of quiet in the school that she never got at the rowdy, energetic campus at Astruc.

A shadow draped over her as she finished adjusting her right skate and she glanced up. Adrien Agreste, skateboard next to his left hip and right hand in his pocket, is standing over her with a nervous sort of expression. In spite of viewing his face for two years, she was only familiar with cocky or flirtatious Agreste—swathe to his knees with women or up to his head with ego. So it was a surreal sight to see anything but. His hair was ruffled by the wind and he was darting glances at her in an uncharacteristic gesture. She straightened out from her crouch to sit properly on the bench, head tilted.

Adrien was, surprisingly, not that bad in classes yesterday. They had many lectures that day, there was only one hour in language when they separated, and he found a spot behind or in front her each time. But he never said or did anything. The glares from admirers died down and Marinette was able to concentrate in her classes. She wondered if it was because she snapped at him about the locker and she wasn't sure if she should feel happy or guilty.

"Can I—well, would you—I want to go with you. To practice, that is," he said.

He didn't have to say where, that was obvious. She gazed at him for a while, her mind suspicious of his motives to get her alone.

She had to bite the inside of her cheek at the thought, the promise to Alya ringing in her head.

She couldn't be like this around him, she had to give him a chance. She could tell the longer she didn't respond the more nervous he became. A blooming pink hue hit his cheeks and he started shuffling his feet. She never saw this before and it was almost so invigorating that she imagined it could be a form of pastime.

"That's fine," she eventually responded. She didn't want to torture him. And for the sake of Alya, she'd make an effort.

He released a huge breath, his cheeks puffing out in the process like she was holding his life in the balance.

She stood and followed him out the front gates, his wheels creating a louder clacking against the concrete than her blades. He always had tremendous control over his board, hopping over crates and curbs like the board was an extension of him. More than a parlour skill, but a piece of him. She could respect that much.

Though he did have a slower glide across the ground on his board and she had to match it. She started skating backwards on occasion for amusement.

He glanced over at her, quirking his lips. "Show off."

"You're just jealous because it's impossible for you."

"A bit," He smiled.

Marinette noted that their conversation was decent so far and gave herself a mental pat on the back. She looked down.

"Is your board different?" She asked.

"Yeah. Got it done Monday. New wheels and fresh paint on the deck." He does a kickflip, displaying said improvements—now who's a show off. "I heard you paint and fix your skates yourself."

Everyone who skated for either high schools' team tend to have something unique about their image. Adrien's board was a standard black on top but the underside had a mesh green and black airbrush effect. There was a large black circle in the center with a green cat paw print. On the corners of the board was the leering smile of a cat, wide and cheshire-like. The new wheels were a neon green where they used to be black. Combine that design with his tomcat personality, it was easy to see how he earned the name Chat Noir.

Marinette's skates were the same design since middle school, having changed them out twice with her growing foot size. The boot was red with black polka dots around it. The cuff and laces were also black. Her frames were red and the wheels were black with red axles. She took care of everything herself, changing the bearings, spray painting the boots when faded, and replacing parts she needed.

"I wear them down pretty quick compared to other skaters. Par for the course." She skates to school, skates in the park everyday after school, and skates home. Her friends joked that it was no wonder she was so clumsy, walking becomes a more difficult task when one never participates in the action.

They drifted into the skatepark, Marinette catching Tikki waiting for the Astruc students and she waved. Tikki waved cheerfully in return and Marinette already felt a pang of longing, missing the comfort of her school.

Adrien caught her expression and asked, "Why  _did_  you leave your school?"

She huffed. "Better education. Convenience, friends, quarter-life crisis. What does it matter? "

"I'm curious. And happy. That you're around, I suppose. I would have liked you around sooner."

Marinette flushed at that. "Right."

"And, why are you in the S series?"

Marinette raised her brow at that one. "Why is that weird?"

Adrien's eyes widened. "No, I'm sure you're brilliant," he flushed. "I just—I thought you wanted to be a designer?"

"Who told you—?"

A few more people entered the park, passing by them, and Adrien jolted forward when he received a huge clap on the back.

"Adrien, my man! Ready to train and crush those Astruc flunkies into the ground?" Nino raved behind him, huge grin on his face.

Adrien gave him some sort of glare and tilted his head.

Nino took that moment to notice Marinette and his grin got bigger, if that was possible. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng! My second favorite female, after my beloved girlfriend."

Marinette smiled then. "Nino. What was that about flunkies?"

Nino looked to the sky, jutting his lower lip forward trying to recall a mere ten-seconds ago. "Did I say that? I meant 'flaunties', because you're so talented."

"I'm sure you did," Marinette laughed. "I may be on your team, but I still have their training in my blood, and I'll still outscore everyone."

"Hey! I'll have you know my scooting skills are impeccable this year. I might even top Adrien," Nino boasted, chest puffing out.

Marinette glanced at Adrien. He didn't look very impressed by Nino's assumptions. "Well, considering how often he usually practices, I'm sure that won't be too hard."

Adrien twisted his head towards her, mouth slack and blinking owishly; she couldn't resist giving the jab.

"Welcome to the team, Mari," Nino laughed, while patting his friend on the back.

Marinette gave a two finger salute and glided away to begin her practice laps.

As the wind kissed her face and calm sunk to her bones, she noted how proud Alya would feel for her behavior. Today was a good start, and it should only go up from there.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU Saacha for beta-ing this chapter. She always has great suggestions. I scrapped everything I planned for this story because…I like pain I guess lol But I was reminded its character driven so WHO CARES. LETS GO BUCK WILD.
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

 

* * *

"Morning, Marinette."

Marinette's shoulders surged upward when Adrien glided his board next to her on the way to school. She barely skated a block past her house, not expecting to meet up with Alya for another two blocks, and the cheerful greeting of Adrien Agreste was the last thing she expected.

"I didn't know cats prowled in the morning," she said.

Adrien snickered. "Sorry, I thought my board made enough noise."

"Do you even live on this side of the city?" She considered the surrounding landmarks just to make sure she hadn't somehow wound up on the other side of Paris. "I'm pretty sure you live on the opposite end of the school."

"Nope, don't think so," Adrien voiced.

She stared flatly at him, positive he was pulling one over on her when in the three days she took this route she never saw him on his skateboard or otherwise.

"So you never answered my question yesterday," he continued.

"What was that?" She casually drifted to the right when middle schoolers walked between them, heading in the opposite direction. Adrien swiveled to the left and met her back in the center when the road was open.

"Why are you in the science track when you want to be a designer?"

"I can have several interests," she said.

"True." A small silence rolled between them, the chatter of the streets and birds wrestling in the trees the only noise between them. "I noticed you exchanged numbers with Max on the first day." The statement was casual enough but there was a disgruntled lilt to his voice which made her turn.

"I like having friends to call if I need to," she defended.

"Aren't we friends?"

This slowed her stride, the world running less at a blur, because she already knew the answer but never considered Adrien might think the opposite. "Depends who you ask."

"I'm asking you."

This made her pause. There was a crack of resigned sincerity to his tone and, again, she was faced with an Agreste she wasn't sure she could comprehend. "I mean—there isn't much is there? Besides skating, I don't know you."

He was silent, his features pensive like something was on the tip of his tongue but he was conflicted to spit it out or let it be. Then Adrien grabbed her left hand and pulled it, palm up. She came to a halt and drifted towards him so she didn't fall over and a ticklish pressure scratched across her palm. She caught sight of a pen and realized he was scribbling something.

"H-hey! What gives?" She exclaimed.

"Giving you a chance to know me," he stated. He finished one more stroke to her palm and she swiped her hand back to view a flourish of numbers and the name Chat Noir with a heart on the 'i'.

She snapped her head up to glare at him but he was already gone. Some several feet ahead, a bright blonde head was weaving between people and speeding away.

"Tomcat!" She shouted at him.

"My Lady!" He shouted back, glee bright in his tone. Great, a new nickname.

"There you are!"

Marinette jerked and stuffed her hand into her light bomber jacket.

Alya walked up behind her and continued, "Sorry I came out a bit late. Did I see Adrien over here? Doesn't he live on the other side of school?"

Marinette pursed her lips from the similar conclusion. "According to him, apparently not."

/ /

She intended to wash off the stain on her hand before class but Alya caught it later when they went to their lockers.

"Woah, woah, gurl, what is  _this_?" Alya tugged at Marinette's palm so the evidence hung between them. A few nearby students sent suspicious glances at Alya's exclamation, which didn't sit well with Marinette.

She grumbled, "A nuisance. I'll wash it off in a second."

"When I said have a truce, I didn't mean cast him under your ladybug spell," she teased.

"He's a free spirit. I couldn't stop him from falling for a lampshade.  _Multiple_  lampshades. This doesn't mean anything." She shook off Alya's grip, then finished taking off her skates and switched out her books.

"Really? Nino says he's pretty exclusive."

"The number of girls he's seduced at the park alone says otherwise. Besides, he was going on about us being friends."

"Yeah? That's great! You should text him ASAP because MechaMonkey versus CyberShark V is coming out soon and it's a mandatory group outing."

Marinette attempted not to groan and her face petulantly puffed out as a result. "I don't want to, though."

"You promised." Alya waved her finger. "Lowest bar. Just one 'hi'."

"He's going to blow up my phone, I just know it. I bet he's an excessive cat memer."

"Gurl, you love grumpy cat. You already have something to talk about."

"Only because grumpy ladybugs aren't a thing," she groused.

Alya sent her a tired stare.

" _Fine_. One message."

The clack of broad heels and a shrill voice that could wake a coma patient came behind them. "Oh joy, the rumors were true; our school opened its doors to charity cases."

"Chloe," Marinette sighed without turning, "Still as pleasant as I remember."

"I'm hard to forget, honey," Chloe boasted. "But really, what possessed you to come here? I don't expect you'll get a warm welcome."

"Why? Do I bring up bad memories?" Marinette said. She turned and next to Chloe was Sabrina, no surprise, and looking as proud with Chloe's personality as ever. Marinette never understood how villains could rally even one accomplice with their nasty personalities.

"Trust me, I hardly remember you exist half the time. Just do us both a favor and stay far away from me or any of my friends, will you? I know you have a habit of putting your nose where it doesn't belong." She sent a sharp glare, less childish and more experienced than two years prior, a pointed sneer and raised head that was less entitled. Marinette was almost disgusted by what Chloe could be capable of after so long without a slap on the wrist.

"I don't make a habit of associating with witches, thanks."

They stared each other down for a few more moments, neither giving the satisfaction of turning, before Chloe huffed away, her blonde waves practically snapping when she whipped her head.

"Well, that was less messy than I expected." Alya raised her brow.

"She makes me sick." Marinette tried to dislodge the unpleasant feeling in her chest. She'd never met anyone as needlessly nasty and it pissed her off.

"It's lucky none of us are in her major. Except Nino. He's in her class. He said she's pretty diligent, actually."

"Diligently filing her claws, I'm sure."

Marinette knew Chloe Bourgeois since kindergarten, and apparently her bad personality ran at a linear climb. It reached its peak in middle school and Marinette was glad to have the option of a different high school. Unfortunately, this year was different, but she counted her blessings that they had no classes together and didn't run in the same social circles.

Except she did promise Alya—  _again_  she might add— to text Adrien, who was one of Chloe's best friends. Her stomach churned at wanting to spite Choe by talking to him or not deal with the issue all together and never go on group outings for the rest of the year.

At the end of school, she typed Adrien's number in her phone before washing off the offending scrawl. She supposed if she texted Adrien she could explain her issue with Chloe and the threat of his fangirls, thus having solid reasoning for him to back off, but frankly the whole situation was too dramatic to care about in the first place.

She decided to put it off, he'd get tired of her soon enough.

/ / / /

"Good morning!"

Marinette jumped again, clenching her jaw to keep from yelping.

"How early do you wake up to get here?" She quipped.

"You didn't text yesterday," he swiveled closer, ignoring her, and gave a sly smile. "I waited, you know."

"With bated breath, I'm sure," she replied dryly.

"Most people would text immediately."

"I did say that I only text for school reasons."

"So you never text anyone? Alya? Teammates?"

"I'm usually busy." Which is mostly true. If she had to describe the frequency she talked to someone via her phone over speaking to them in person, she might as well own a carrier pigeon.

"I bet I could make you change your ways. I'm a great conversationalist. Plus I have a huge archive of cute cats pictures to send."

 _I freakin' knew it!_  "Uninterested."

"You're so stubborn." He reached out and tapped a finger between her brows. "You're getting this cute little furrow right here."

She waved him off, swerving to the right and almost hitting a coffee shop sign. She had to admit her face felt a tad tense, but that's what happens when you're hounded in the morning.

"If you have to flirt with me, could you not do it in the middle of a street?" she admonished.

"Does that mean I can flirt with you other times?"

She sent a flat stare which screamed,  _absolutely not._ He only smiled widely in return.

"But if you'd text me, I wouldn't have to," he said. She didn't believe him in the slightest. "Well, try not to. Cat's honor." Large kitten eyes stared back at her as he pleaded.

It reminded her of Manon, the girl she babysat since middle school and who always won arguments with the same technique.

She pursed her lips and crossed her arms, looking away from him. As he started to make pathetic whining noises, she caved. She rolled her eyes and looked dejectedly back at him.

"Fine."

He gave her a broad grin, like he expected victory which irked her, then swiftly grabbed her hand— the second morning in a row— and kissed the back of it. Marinette's stomach sort of spasmed.

"It's a promise then." He winked then skated away, blonde hair blowing back in his swift escape.

She stands on the block, a warmth running up from her hand to her face, as she tried to comprehend his bold action. Then her face scrunched up again and she took out her phone— she had to wait for Alya anyway—and fulfilled said promise.

She texted:  _Insatiable, presumptuous, lecherous cat!_

Once she made it back to her locker, her phone dinged. The screen flashed 'Tomcat' and read:  _Stubborn, beautiful, amazing lady ₍˄·͈_ ༝ _·͈˄₎_ ノ

That's when she knew she regretted ever listening to Alya, and everything would probably go down from there.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Guess who's back. Back again. So this story has a deadline! It'll be finished at the end of this month and I have another chapter finished for tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after! I like gloating about being responsible.
> 
> Everyone praise and worship Saccha for editing everything and TOG84 for adding invaluable narrative perspective.
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

* * *

 

"Isn't he the most gorgeous man you've ever seen?"

"And his father makes the most amazing clothes in Paris. He's an absolute dream."

The two females sighed in unison— illustrated hearts practically pouring from their eyes— and Marinette drifted to a halt next to them, tilting her head up to find their object of attention. A sizeable billboard, spanning four floors of a large department store building, displayed Adrien Agreste's enlarged head along a busy street corner. He flashed a wide, sparkling smile while his eyes looked directly at the camera with the effect of burning a passionate gaze onto onlookers.

That morning, Marinette had the pleasant fortune of Adrien texting:  _I can't escort My Lady this morning, but I will count down the seconds. (_ 。 _•_ _̀ᴗ-)_ ✧ _._  She expected a peaceful skate, but of course she barely makes it down the street and there's his big smarmy face beaming down at her.

Classically handsome is the term Marinette would use to describe him, as it fits his reputation as an insatiable heartbreaker, but 'gorgeous' and 'a dream' was a bit of a stretch. His hairstyle hadn't changed much in the two years since he started coming to the skatepark, those bright blonde strands falling in styled wisps around his face. Though his face filled out, the tail-end of baby fat transforming into a strong jawline and firm cheekbones. And she supposed his eyes could be considered lovely in their emerald shade.

The ad utilized dramatic lighting to emphasize all those features to create a mature and alluring picture. She could understand how those women would swoon, but to Marinette it just looked practiced and, honestly, a bit lonely.

She blinked the thought away. Adrien was far from lonely, she can't imagine why she thought it.

Marinette continued on her route and met her best friend who didn't hesitate to start a conversation. "How's the adoption of our favorite blond kitten?"

"What?" Marinette smiled, bemused.

"Chat Noir. Adrien. Blonde Kitten. It's a thing, I'm sure."

"Well, maybe, but when did it become a thing  _you_  said?"

"Since Adrien gushed to Nino about finally getting your number and who probably writes hearts in his notebooks during class with your name in it. What did he call you? Princess? My Lady? I'm preparing your list of counter pet names."

"Oh no, Alya. You asked for basic friendship. Don't you dare upgrade me to premium passionate romance."

"I can dream, can't I?"

Marinette groaned. "Maybe if it was anyone else..."

"So what has the lovecat been texting you?" Alya ignored her.

Marinette sighed and resigned to go along with Alya's excitable notions. "Who knows."

"What does that mean?" Alya gave her a stern, soon-to-be-reprimanding tone.

"It means— " Marinette dragged out admitting she had no idea what he had said because she only glanced at each message enough to recognize the sender. Then each response she sent back was 'Cool'— the classic conversation shut down word— after every text message. So far he was buying it. She was curious to see how long before he caught on.

"You ignored all of them." Alya crossed her arms. Got it in one.

Marinette waved a hand defensively. "I could argue interacting with him is like a part time job and I don't work weekends."

"So that mean you read his text today?"

Marinette preened. "As a matter of fact I did. See, I'm a model employee. Top marks performance review."

"Your terrible metaphor is not going to distract me."

"Don't be so uptight. No wonder everyone calls you the bitch boss."

"Excuse me?"

Alya chased Marinette down the street, which is horribly futile against skates, but those journalism legs kept up better than expected. After she slapped Marinette on the shoulder, catching her breath, Alya split up at the gates to meet with Nino, and Marinette rolled to the West building and skipped up the stairs. She pivoted the corner to find a pink figure rifling in her locker and it took a moment to realize why they looked familiar.

"Rose?"

"Hm? Oh Mari! It's so good to see you!"

"So you must be my locker partner." Relief washed over her. The lack of accountability for the photos began to weird her out. It could've ranked from a prank to an obsessive fan but Rose was the best person to clear any creepy connotations her mind conjured.

"I guess so! Are these photos yours? They're amazing!"

Marinette froze. "Wait, they aren't yours?"

"Oh no, I only have pictures of dogs, the ocean, and Juleka; my favorite things in the world. Not that I don't think you're amazing, cause you are!"

"Oh, I see." She didn't see. It's possible the photos were leftovers from last semester and never cleaned out over the summer, but that doesn't account for who took them. Marinette could be on a hit list, the next target of a deranged inline skating murderer. Or perhaps she's overthinking it. "I've been looking for the owner. "

"Hmm, I don't know, but whoever did them was really attentive. The light, angle, and respect for every aspect of your movement is very professional. See, there's even one at the golden hour. Your hair looks lovely in the sun, Mari. It's quite artistic. Romantic, even," Rose said dreamily.

Marinette considered the photos again, tilting her head as if it would help see from Rose's perspective. "You think so?"

She nodded. "It's very passionate. I spent all summer taking pictures of Juleka. She's beautiful in any setting." Rose swooned against the nearby lockers and Marinette giggled at her antics. Rose was a sweet girl that always viewed the world in a positive light, especially when it came to the love of her girlfriend— and love in general.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. Thanks, Rose."

Rose tilted her head, not understanding the gratitude, but smiled nonetheless. When Rose skipped to class, Marinette carefully peeled the photos down, not having the heart to ruin them. They were kind of lovely— not crude in anyway and focused on her figure while blurring the backdrops which gave respect to her outfits as well as her movement. There were even photos of her just smiling and she was a bit jealous her selfies never looked that good.

It's possible the photographer was a very kind person, passionate about their art. When she thought about it, there were usually photographers or bloggers at competitions. Were they impressed with her style of skating? Her style of clothes? Did they hope to become friends with her? She tucked the photos into the top corner shelf to hold them safe and hoped she could ask the person who took them one day.

—

"You're not reading my texts, are you?" Adrien accused her with a pout the next morning on the way to school.

"Why would you say that? Of course I am." Marinette tried to hide her smile by skating ahead.

"I texted you last night asking what you thought of the death of Bambi's mom, and you texted back 'Cool,' just like your last five messages."

Marinette cocked her head to look back. "Why would you text me that?"

"I was testing you."

Marinette had to turn away and clamped her lips shut to muffle her laughter. "Well, I mean, it definitely could be cool."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"The commentary on human cruelty is pretty cool."

"No, it's not."

"Bambi rose above adversity. That's cool, isn't it?"

"Not really."

"It was a cool plot twist?" she ventured.

"Just admit you didn't read them. And also, no, it's not cool. It's trite and overused."

"I admit nothing," she said, turning to face him again and immediately discovering she can't keep a straight face, at all. Instead, she laughed. She laughed so much she drifted instead of skated and came to a stop to catch her breath. Her cheeks began to hurt and she realized she was laughing alone on the street corner and turned to catch Adrien looking at her with a strangely tender expression.

"What?" she asked, a chuckle still sneaking past her lips.

"Is it odd that was the first time I've made you laugh?"

"That's ridiculous; of course I've laughed around you before."

"You've laughed  _around_  me, but I'd remember if I ever made My Lady laugh like that— aw, don't frown. I know you find me charming."

"As a snake?" she said with faux-innocence.

Adrien mimed being impaled through the chest and stopped his board as if he couldn't go on.

She wouldn't admit she continued to smile all the way to school.

—

At lunch, Marinette was lumbering to her locker. Second week of school and teachers were already hammering the seriousness of the Bac. She knew this year would be a handful but experiencing it was an entire different ballpark. Marinette was so stressed— thinking of her responsibilities between studying, skating, sewing, and helping out her parents— that she doubted sleep would come to her tonight. For not the first time, she berated herself for picking the science major.

Marinette was switching out her textbooks when a sweet citrus wafted over her nose and she looked to the right to find that gorgeous girl with tan skin that always walked Adrien class to class.

"Hey, Marinette! Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Marinette almost looked around, not expecting the friendly greeting. "Lila, right?" she asked. "Yeah, what's up?"

"It's about Adrien," she started.

That was less surprising. "No matter what you hear, we're just classmates. And teammates," she added the last as an afterthought. "Feel free to tell anyone who's asking. Including Adrien."

Lila sighed, eyes fluttering and looking relieved. "That's so good to know, because I was going to warn you."

Marinette shut her locker and jostled her backpack onto her back. "About what?"

"Adrien has always been a bit of a ladies man, I'm sure you know. And I can't tell you how many times a girl was left heartbroken and crying after… well, you can imagine how men are."

Marinette's heart stuttered and she worked her jaw. "You don't say."

Lila continued, "I see how he looks at you, he looks at all of them like that. Sweet talking, flirting, trying to score. And I'm paraphrasing him." She paused, looking over Marinette's severe expression. "I know we're not friends, but I thought it was important you know his character. If flings are your thing, go for it, otherwise..."

"It's not." Marinette shouldn't be surprised, but, in a very small way, she was. With Adrien walking her to school every morning and Alya's encouragement, she resolved to ignore her preconceptions, to give him a blank slate. He seemed reasonable and could be funny on occasion, but apparently it was all a mask. Lila was relaying what she always knew, what her gut screamed at her— and it felt a bit like a betrayal.

"And why should it be, right? You're smart, talented, and beautiful. You could have just about any man, but Adrien? I've known him since the beginning, and he runs through girls like grains of sand on a beach. We deserve way better than men like him, Marinette."

Marinette was repulsed. Not for herself but for all the girls who fell victim to Adrien's wiles and deceitful personality. She had no right to interfere in Adrien's romantic affairs, but she definitely didn't appreciate being coerced into a friendship with someone so harshly indifferent. Then he had the audacity to flirt with her, quit often, when she clearly had no interest. What was his goal?

She scrunched her brows. "How can you remain friends with him after all that? I always assumed you liked him."

"Oh." She flushed a lovely shade. "I already have a boyfriend in Italy. Complete opposite of Adrien. But Adrien was my first friend in Paris so I can't snub him but I also can't tell him to stop. The least I can do is look out for my fellow ladies when I can." She took Marinette's hand, gave an affectionate squeeze, then winked.

Marinette couldn't help but smile at her good nature. "Thanks for telling me, Lila. It was really sweet of you."

"It was my pleasure. If Adrien does anything unwanted, you just come to me. I'll straighten him out." Lila released Marinette's hand and turned to leave. "I'll see you around!" She waved and skipped off.

Marinette heaved a sigh and dejectedly stared at her locker. She knew Alya couldn't be right about Adrien, the evidence was too damning. She couldn't look past a man like Agreste taking advantage of women's affections and sampling them like cheese on a platter before brushing them off. It set her heart a boil. It sounded exactly like something Chloe would do.

She needed to talk to him, finally get a clear picture, otherwise she wanted nothing to do with Adrien Agreste.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As always, thank you, Betas~~
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

* * *

As soon as Adrien drifted up to Marinette the next morning, she skidded to a stop. She crossed her arms and pursed her lips, and it took her a second to realize it was the same stance her mother gave when she was upset and about to chew her out. It was effective, so she went with it.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked, hand ruffling through his hair.

"This is me being angry at you."

"Oh. Did you miss me yesterday?" He leered at her, attempting to skate closer but she nudged his chest to drift back.

"As much as a rabbit misses a fox." She retorted.

"I always thought you reminded me of Judy. I'm definitely a hotter, darker version of Nick, myself."

"I'm not in the mood today. I'm being serious."

His eyes flashed in alarm, finally taking in Marinette's tone. "What did I do?"

He looked honestly confused but Marinette should know better than to take his attitude as virtuous.

"How often— no, what do you— " She grumbled, not sure how to phrase it, but she just needed to come out and say it. "Why do you flirt with me?"

"Because I like you." He stopped and darted eyes at the ground, as if he didn't mean to come out and say it. He glanced up again, more conviction in his tone. "I like you, Marinette."

Her brows furrowed. "I wish I could believe you."

His face crumpled. "What?"

"With the way you go through girls— "

"Wha— no! I don't! I've never liked anyone else, let alone asked a girl out."

"I highly doubt that."

"Why do you doubt it?"

"Is that a serious question?"

"I—" A heavy frustrated sigh passed his lips and Marinette's pulse jumped. "I don't get it. What is it about me that you hate so much? Why do you have all these ideas about me, I just—why is this so hard?" He directed the last statement to himself.

She'd never seen Adrien frustrated before, not once, and it surprised her. It made her consider that he was being sincere; that he really didn't know what she was talking about. Maybe he never flirted with other girls, and maybe she was always in the wrong. Maybe he actually liked her. She would feel terrible if that's the case, gutted and hallow, because she was nothing but harsh and distant to him—though she could argue she had reason. Everything was tilted and wrong.

"I'm sorry," she croaked, already under the weight of her error. "I have to think about this."

"Why you hate me?"

"No— I, I don't hate you."

"Then at least tell me why you were angry at me. Clearly you didn't have this problem before today." He looked hurt, and she wished she could say he didn't have the right, that he was always in the wrong, that she always had a problem with him, and he was too big headed to see it— but this time she was the problem.

"I talked to Lila yesterday," she admitted. "She told me some things that I…I refused to stand and know someone like that. Sorry."

The excuse felt weak but it was the truth all the same. She had more reasons to be mad but they weren't justified. Old wounds, really. She doubted he could understand them.

He continued to stare at her, confused and pained, and she didn't know what to do. So she mumbled an apology again and skated away before his gaze can cause her to feel any worse.

—

They didn't talk the entire week. He didn't show up on her route, he didn't send a text, and skate practice was like treading through the swamps of sadness. Not that she sought him out either. She was too busy reflecting on what a complete ass she was.

She would like to think she had a good judge of character, that all the obvious signs to Adrien's personality was laid out like a map. Chloe, Lila, and her own observations pointed to playboy heartbreaker, but Alya, Nino, and recent conversations said he was at least decent. It didn't take extensive thought to realize if she's stupid enough to side with Chloe against her closest friends, it was no wonder she ended up the biggest jerk out of everyone.

Yet she still hadn't apologized. Even though she recognized failure in her judgement, she renounced telling Alya about the whole ordeal. And without Alya to gloat and shame her, her stubborn righteousness won out her guilt to say anything at all.

—

Monday in Physics she got pen ink all over her notes and textbook. Not that she saw the pen explode, but one moment she's shuffling through papers and asking Max a few questions and the next there's black fingerprints everywhere like a bad crime spree.

She dejectedly rifled through them and found a lot of example equations smudged and the steps were impossible to follow. Some key concepts the teacher emphasized a few classes ago were also now illegible. She'd have to do extra readings at home on top of the extra she already did.

Later, as she's walking into English, Adrien tapped her shoulder and handed over a laminated notebook. She stared at him a second, her emotions torn in several directions, none of them feeling great. Adrien's shirt was a bit wrinkled and his neck a bit red, kind of similar to how he looked after skate practice. His hair was also ruffled so possibly he played some sport during lunch. She eventually took the notebook and glanced at the front title: "Physics, AG".

"What's this?" She asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "My finalized Physics notes. They're from when I was tutored at home, but I've been editing and cleaning it up for a while. I was hoping it would help."

"That's—" Her throat clogged and she had to clear it before speaking again.  _Amazing, kind, more than I deserve._  "You don't have to. I can figure it out."

His lips clamped to a thin line. "I don't need it. Have it the whole year, if you want." He walked past her to his seat.

She whispered a 'thank you' when she sat behind him and couldn't seem to utter another word the rest of class.

At the end of English, as she picked up her bag from the chair, the zipper teeth on her bag must have malfunctioned because all her items went tumbling to the floor. She'll have to resew a new zipper that night, if she had one. She grumbled and groaned internally but went to bend and pick everything up. Some female titters were around her but she wasn't going to be self-conscious and think they were aimed at her.

A hand picked a few of her papers and she looked up to see Adrien, calmly picking up her things.

"Y-you don't have to help, this happens all the time." She waved back a piece of loose hair on her cheek.

"You don't seem the clumsy type," he replied.

She involuntarily chuckled. "Are you kidding? Clumsy is my middle name. You just haven't seen me out of my skates long enough."

He was silent and she looked up from getting all her items to his sparkling expression staring at her. She was floored, not expecting anything but frowns and pained glances for weeks, and her small smile fell.

"I never knew that," he said.

She didn't understand what that meant, it unnerved her and she wasn't ready to unravel it. She mumbled a thanks and shuffled away.

Later that night, after a near week of silence, he texted:  _Clumsy (_ ＾艸＾ _)_. And, somehow, it made her mouth quirk.

—

Tuesday was the day she started getting suspicious. She was bumping into people a lot. A foot stumble there, a shoulder tap, or an entire body suddenly being in her path. There was even a point when she thought someone pulled her hair. It usually happened in the halls when a great many people were around her, which was odd because she didn't remember students traveling in clusters.

She headed towards the stairs at the end of school, skates in one hand, when she had a nasty shoulder bump with a person running up the staircase. She wasn't paying attention— how much mental energy should it take an average person to avoid collision—so she couldn't even guess who it was, but she was tilting forward and trying to find footing on an incline. It wasn't looking too good.

She resigned herself to being rather banged up when a miraculous grip held her arms and her face squished against a solid, warm surface.

"You really weren't kidding about being clumsy."

She felt the chuckle against her cheek and the voice was too familiar to be mistaken.

"When I said that, I didn't mean life threateningly so." She huffed a stilted laugh. Her lips tingled and she thought she might be shaking a bit.

Adrien sensed her discomfort and helped straighten her out. He picked up her skates, which she must have dropped when she thought she was about to twist an ankle, and they walked slowly down the stairs. Marinette stayed closer to Adrien than usual. They reached her usual bench to change skates and she sat to catch her breathe. Adrien said he would come back and jogged inside to get his board.

Marinette was plenty clumsy but she didn't remember almost killing herself on the stairs since elementary school. She rubbed her shoulder. The bump was so hard she still felt it. What was going on this week?

She had one skate situated when Adrien jogged back to her with his board on his hip. He didn't have to come back, and wasn't ready to consider why he cared. But this was her chance, and she's too grateful to him not to say anything now.

Adrien waited as she finished buckling her skates, not saying a word, then signaled to follow him out the front gates.

"So, Adrien."

He glanced over at her but generally kept his head forward. "Yeah? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Tough as nails," she tried to joke. She can't tell if it worked since he was facing away. "Right. Adrien." She reached forward and grabbed his shoulder, causing him to stop. "I was wrong."

"About what?"

"Where do I even start? I was wrong to treat you terribly, to lash at you when you didn't deserve it. You helped me out yesterday, twice, and today, and for what? You should think I'm awful yet you still— I was wrong to assume your character, your personality when it's obvious you're Nino's best friend for a reason. Because you're.. a kind person. And considerate, and admirable, and— "

"Handsome. Godly. Charming." Adrien is looking at her, large Cheshire grin in place. "That's the most you've ever said to me at once."

"I really am sorry."

"Well, I might have overreacted, too," Adrien admitted. Marinette shook her head and opened her mouth to speak but he halted her. "Not to say you won't be paying me back for months. You really hurt my feelings. Have you ever had a guy tell you 'you're wrong' when you confess? It's heartbreaking."

Marinette grimaced. "I'm the worst, aren't I?"

"I certainly didn't pick an easy one," he beamed and Marinette flashed hot. Adrien made a show of stretching his arms and back, sighing in relief. He hopped on his board and skated forward again. "Besides, now that I've confessed, I can go all out."

Marinette followed. "You weren't going all out before?"

"Oh no. Now, instead of just liking me, you're going to fall for me." He turned his head to wink at her. It was so usual of him, the mood much lighter than before, that she fell into his rhythm like a dance and her guilt almost flew entirely away. Almost.

"In your dreams, Tomcat."

"At least I can admit I have to work for it. Think of it as 'equivalent exchange'. You made me like you, at the very least I should make you fall for me." He looked extremely satisfied at the notion.

"You can't make someone just fall for you." She had to assume he was joking and took it as such. No one is that self confident— well, he might be, but she had a lot of assumptions to undo. She skated forward and pivoted to a backward skate so she could maintain eye contact.

"Can't I?" Adrien held her gaze.

Marinette took in his optimistic expression, bright green eyes and tender smile and she can see it, or maybe this was the first time she believed it— he liked her. And it hit her nerves somewhere, left her frazzled.

She didn't respond, not really having anything to say, but a nameless feeling stood between them and Marinette didn't run from it.

—

The next morning, Marinette's suspicions proved true. She opened her locker and a tumble of papers scattered the floor. At first she thought Rose was doing an interesting project but then she read half of them: Back off bitch; Two-faced; Your personality is like your clothes, trashy; Manipulative tramp; He's mine, Minger. The comments specifically warning her away from a man, rather than a woman, definitely meant they were for her. Marinette sighed, worked her jaw, and casually gathered all the notes into a big crumbled ball.

So the 'clumsy accidents' this week weren't accidents at all. The Adrien fans were finally gathering and taking action. But she had to admit, it didn't make sense when even before their fight and subsequent make-up, they never talked on school grounds. Adrien had respected her wishes on that front. The sudden onslaught of abuses had no correlation. Some comments didn't even make sense, calling her two faced and saying she shouldn't have said anything.

She rounded the corner to throw the papers away when she found Adrien talking with Chloe down the hall. Adrien was smiling and nodding down at Chloe as she gesticulated about something, then they were laughing and hugging. Chloe looked down the hall during their embrace and caught Marinette's gaze. It was obvious Chloe saw the large pile of papers and just gave a knowing witchy smile and winked at Marinette.

It clicked. Of course, of course, it's all the same. Even when Marinette made precautions for a smooth school year, Chloe arrived like Pandora's box to unleash hell. Marinette didn't know what she said or did to create this female army of hate— especially after two years of not talking to each other— but Marinette was not the same fourteen year old girl.

Whatever Chloe wanted to dish out, she wasn't running away; she was going to tough it out. She could handle it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just had one of those moments where you read a fantastic story then you read your own and go "oof" lol There's some funny dialogue though, so I hope it cheers someone up.
> 
> Thank you betas~~!
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

* * *

 

The harassment escalated through the week and into the next until her only friends in classes were the males— which she supposed made her look worse. Shoving, snide comments, constant piles of paper in her locker, and blatantly ignoring her existence were a few of the actions against her, but Marinette kept her chin up and no one was the wiser.

She assumed the goal of the girls was to isolate her and perhaps wear her down from being anywhere near Adrien, but they didn't seem to understand the tenacity of Adrien himself, who was usually the one finding her than the other way around.

Adrien acted his natural flirtatious self ever since their talk. She half expected trails of roses and morning serenades by his silly declaration of making her fall for him, but nothing truly changed. It was a wonder if he was being serious, not that she wanted to encourage him.

He still made comments that made her eyes roll and snark back at him, but her bite was gone and she came to appreciate his quirks.

"Are you stuck?" Adrien was leaning over her shoulder and looking at her Physics paper. A white pen was stuck between his teeth when he spoke, so his words were rounded by 'r's.

His familiar distance made Marinette stumble over her words, "Y-yeah, um, I'm not the best at Physics. Even with your notes, I can keep up but it's usually after hours of reading."

He hummed and glanced at her, the weight of his stare sitting on the side of her face. She can feel her cheeks heating up. There are moments when she's really aware that he likes her and she freezes like prey under the hunter. He might interpret it as her being aware of him as an interest, but frankly he invaded her space as easy as a cloud floats and it rattled her nerves.

"Let me help you," he voiced.

He gestured a shoo-ing motion and Marinette slid down the bench. She always felt there was a generous amount of room between her neighbor Max and herself, but Adrien was determined to close that notion. She moved a good distance but he would follow close behind, barely leaving warmth to move between them. She moved again, twice actually, and he moved with her as if it was routine.

"Adrien?" she sighed. He looked at her, face of innocence, while she gestured at the distance between them and the bench. "If you don't mind."

"I said I was helping. It's easier if you can see what I write, right?" He grinned. He wasn't wrong, even though his smile gave away other motivations. She puckered her lips and kept her attention to the paper.

Within fifteen-seconds, it was apparent Adrien was amazing at Physics. She thought a lot of his Physics notes, which she poured over like a holy text, were written by his tutor but he used easily understandable metaphors and had every historical and numerical source memorized to reason his way through a problem. He never degraded her if she didn't understand something, he listened intently and even created new smaller problems that connected to the bigger picture. By the time they get to the pure math, she could conceptual reason through her equations rather than blundering through memorized steps as she did before.

"Who would've guessed the tomcat was a science genius. I guess your looks can't solve everything," she teased.

Adrien was leaning on his elbow as he smiled down to watch her work. "I had a very good education before public school. I could be your private tutor, if you want."

"That sounds innocent."

"You'd compliment and praise me for hours. What guy wouldn't want that?"

"A decent one."

"Meowch."

She chuckled. "I'm sorry, did I ruin a wooing ploy?"

"Not a ploy. Equivalent exchange," he corrected. "And not really. This is just a favor. Anytime you need me, I'd be there in a heartbeat."

An involuntary fuzzy warmth built in her stomach. "Well, thank you for your help," she said sincerely. His stare burned into her cheek again so she continued, "But unless you're my physics assignment, I suggest going back to your seat before Madame Boudoir berates you."

"Oh no, there's a force stopping me from moving," he breathed dramatically. "I think it's Physics related."

"If you say laws of attraction or something about magnetism, you will find a pink board and a pink hoodie at your next competition."

He was silent before whispering, "It's not my fault I have a magnetic personality."

She shoved him down the bench, and he almost slid off, laughing all the while.

—-

Later in the week, Marinette couldn't unravel a message from her Uncle. It was a recipe she wanted to recreate for her parents, but all of it was in Chinese and she understood a few words at best. She complained to Alya in passing, and Alya said she had the perfect solution and to wait after school.

Marinette waited at the gates, trying variations of Toe Stop Loops and Eagles, when Adrien waltzed up to her. "I heard there was a Chinese emergency."

She didn't stop her motions and furrowed her brows. "Sorry?"

"Alya said you needed help translating Chinese. I'm pretty fluent, though I need to practice more often." He followed her moves intently, like a cat watching a string.

"Oh, yeah, sure," she said. She did a few more B&F Snakes, entranced by Adrien's animal like focus, and he bobbed his head in time with the motions. She stifled a giggled. "Hold on a second."

She stopped skating to pull her phone from her pocket and swiped to her Uncle's email. She handed Adrien the phone, smiling a bit as she did, and he looked confused. She wanted to tease him but he would probably turn it around to make a pass at her. She can never tell when he's serious which can ruin the rhythm of their conversations into something stilted and awkward.

He looked over the message. "Mapo Doufu? You like spicy foods, huh?" Adrien commented.

"I'm making it for my parents but yeah, I like all sorts of things."

Adrien's eyes sparkled and he nodded. "I can write down the translation if you give me a second."

She exhaled. "Thank you so much. You don't know what this means to me."

"It gives me a chance to practice Chinese, so think nothing of it. Unless you wanna give me a kiss on the cheek or something," he teased.

"Not going to happen." She smirked. "I can buy you something on the way home, if you want."

"I don't really want anything. I was joking."

Marinette hummed. "What happened to your Full Metal Alchemist law? 'Equivalent exchange'?"

"You've seen it?" Adrien jerked his head in her direction and his body tensed like it was containing childlike excitement he was prepared to unleash depending on her answer.

She fiddled with the end of her shirt. "I happened to look it up, since you kept mentioning it. I don't really have the time to watch it now."

"I have all of Brotherhood on disk, and you could watch the original anime series, too, but the storyboarding is less affective and the arc isn't as well executed— "

"Brotherhood?"

He nodded so fast she was worried he was having a mental break. "FMA: Brotherhood. The true rendition to the original manga story. The anime industry use to have a terrible release schedule where the anime would catch up to the original source material so they made filler episodes— episodes with no plot development and usually contained fan service— which the original anime doesn't have but it did tangent into its own story, which was okay, but the ending was filled with holes. But if we're talking about too many fillers, Naruto for instance—"

"Adrien." She cut him off.

"Yeah?"

"You're an otaku."

"I take full offense to that term."

"You're a full on anime loving dork."

"Why are you always smiling and laughing at me when it's at my expense?"

"I don't know, maybe because you might sleep with a half naked body pillow of your perfect waifu."

"Weebs do that, not otakus. And if you know the term waifu, you're probably in the same rank as me."

"No, I just play a lot of RPGs and watch Studio Ghibli. I have some self respect."

"This otaku suddenly doesn't want to translate your recipe."

"Okay, I'm sorry; otakus are amazing."

—-

Marinette didn't remember concrete hurting so hard, so it was no wonder she ripped her favorite leggings when she fell on her butt at practice.

"Yo, Marinette, what's going on with you?" Nino asked, holding out his hand to her sprawled form.

They clasped hands and she hauled herself back on her skates. "Sorry, just tired I guess."

"I haven't seen you fall on your skates since second year of collége. Tired seems like an understatement."

"What's going on?" Adrien landed next to them after sliding up the ramp.

"Marinette wiped onto the concrete like a total noob," Nino said and Marinette whacked his shoulder in retaliation. "Ow!"

"Alya wouldn't have approved either so don't complain. And it's nothing."

"Are you okay?" Adrien stepped forward to inspect for injuries.

She brushed him off. "Don't worry about it. I've been through worse. Nice 720, by the way. Boost to a 1080 and maybe you'll stand a chance against me."

Adrien didn't take the bait and continued to stare with concern. Nino had the cheek to mumble if she stumbled like that at competition she wouldn't stand a chance either. She withered a dirty look at him.

She skated away before Adrien could unnerve her enough to confess why she was tired. Because  _she was._ The female army at school may not have accomplished their task of warding Adrien away, but they were certainly wearing her down. She was always looking over her shoulder for the next attack, the next comment to her character, each one weighing on her mind when she studied or just relaxed after school. Even if she denied it meant anything, her mind could only take so much.

However she refused to admit it to anyone. It would be just like middle school anyway— she'd tell a professor or a friend and they'd tell her to forgive and forget, that kindness won out in the end. If Chloe Bourgeois, due to mental trauma or a strange change of heart, one day joined Doctors without Borders, maybe she'd believe it.

At the end of practice, Adrien called for a huddle. "Our first competition is next week. Plagg has the information about parent volunteers and everyone has their music from Nino. All that's left is to  _roll_  the other skaters."

"Have you seen them practice? Without Ladybug, they've really  _stalled_  on their skills," said Barry, one of the freshman skaters.

"Skaters have no good puns. Why do you guys do it every practice?" Marinette sighed.

"Emulating the team captain is a sign of respect, My Lady. You'll come around, too." Adrien winked and Marinette gave an unimpressed stare.

They ended their huddle after Plagg gave a few comments about their techniques and grumbled about his wife stashing away his cheese collection if they lost— which if Marinette remembered due to him storing them between couch cushions and Tikki didn't have time to air out the house so often.

Adrien took Marinette's arm and drifted her to the side. "This isn't the first time you've been acting weird this week," he said.

It took Adrien's glance to her torn legging to understand what he meant. "I fall once and everyone overreacts. I've been studying a lot this week and helping my parents at the bakery. They always make food for competitions, so they're trying to clear clients."

"Which I appreciate because you have the best macarons in Paris, but you haven't looked tired in classes. You've just acted— I don't know, different."

"I didn't realize we got so close." She yanked her arm away and skated around him to pick up her bag.

He slung his bag over his arm and caught up to her on his board. "Don't be like that. You can depend on me a little bit."

"Just back off, okay? I can handle myself," she snapped and pushed faster out of the park until she couldn't hear the roll of his board or the contrasting laughter and calm of everyone else's life at the park.

It didn't take her long to regret her attitude. She had no right to snap at him, he was just looking out for her and like usual she became the jerk. But she felt like other voices in her own problems just made it messy and steered her in the wrong direction, and Adrien is the last person she needed nosing into this issue. It could get back to Chloe and she'll heighten her efforts. And Adrien will start hovering around her in the halls, acting like her protector, but when he's not around, the girls might feel empowered to do something worse. No, it would die down soon, she just needs to toughen out another week.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Have I gloated how I made an outline for chapter 5 and onwards? BECAUSE I'VE NEVER DONE ONE BEFORE? lol It feels nice, albeit weird because I'm use to suffering for the scenes. Anyway, ENJOY! ~~~
> 
> Thank you, Saccha~~!
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

* * *

 

"You're being harassed," Adrien confronted her the next day.

She blinked around the tree where she sat to eat her lunch. "I am?"

Alya was off with her boyfriend, so Marinette decided to have a peaceful meal in the open where— if anyone wanted to start something— the amount of witnesses would discourage them.

Adrien gave a chiding stare. "I saw the notes you threw away during rec. Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"You know, I vaguely remember warning you about this the first day of school." She continued with sarcasm, maybe he'd learn to drop it after that.

"I've known my classmates for two years, there's no way they're doing this because we're friends. That's ridiculous."

"So I must have done something? I'm both victim and agitator?" Her tone was more abrasive than she intended. She didn't want to make this a fight, she was tired of fighting.

"No, I'm saying, there must be a way to fix it. Talk to them, tell them stop. You don't deserve this," he asserted.

No, she didn't and she almost wanted to give in, to let someone else hold her up so she didn't have to hold the weight alone, but she straightened up, shaking off the weak thought. "Telling bullies to stop is really helpful, Adrien. Suggest that at the summit next time."

He shook his head, frustrated. "I'm not going to do nothing." Then he stomped off and Marinette just felt tired.

—-

Marinette walked slowly to her locker at the end of school, tired and ready to scream into a pillow, to find a small crowd of students blocking her path. She was about to turn and wait for the crowd to clear up when she caught a familiar red against the blue metal. She stepped forward, craning her neck to see beyond some of the taller students, and her heart stopped.

Red paint scratched and smeared with black, puncture marks that must have taken several swings, laces shredded and used as a noose, wheels jagged like it was put under a belt sander, and on the side of her skates the bold black message: FILTH.

She couldn't think how they knew her combination, she couldn't consider why they would go this far, and she couldn't fathom how long she would cry about this later, but breaking down now would be the worst time. No one realized she was there to witness it yet, and she was glad because she didn't think she could make it far.

"You took it too far before, but this is sadistic!" Adrien's shout echoed over the crowd.

Marinette's stinging eyes found him in the center of the commotion, a few steps to the right of the display. There were a few girls next to him and she recognized many of them as the ones tormenting her.

"Adrien, if you knew this girl you wouldn't say that," one of them countered.

"Bullshit," he spat. Half the crowd flinched at the outburst, probably as surprised as Marinette was when she first heard him angry. "What makes you think she deserves any of this?"

"She's a legit plague. You should hear the rumors she's spread about everyone. Not to mention she called our homes to spread lies to our families."

"What?" Adrien said.

To Marinette, of course it sounded ridiculous. She was innocent and these were strangers accusing her. But to Adrien, these were his classmates. She couldn't tell if he started to believe them, but her chest constricted at the thought.

The girls relayed their accounts one by one: "For three of us, she pretended to be from Planned Parenthood needing to discuss future options. Can you imagine the look on my Dad's face?"

"And mine was inquiring on my application to Raëlism, which I learned from my parents is a UFO sex cult. That was comfortable."

"And to top it off, she's insulted every single girl in her classes from pyromania, plastic surgery, weight problems, you name it and she said it. She's a two-faced psycho."

The ripple effect was instant with the crowd of gawkers. Students that have know each other for years couldn't doubt such specific claims, especially against an outsider. Even the ones she knew in College couldn't completely doubt the accusations; people change, motivations change, she could be anyone. Marinette couldn't even feel angry at the oppressive mob mentality growing around her; there was no one to defend her.

She stared at Adrien again, a mistake when her emotions were so high. Her throat clogged knowing he would believe them. He fell for Chloe's tricks, remained friends with her despite her nasty nature, and he's going to fall for this one; maybe it's for the best.

Plus her skates were a mess. Beyond repair by the looks of it. She'd have to stop going to practice or make a deal with Plagg to clear her credits. She'll never have to look at Adrien again, exactly what Chloe wanted. It's not a big deal...it's not.

She set her jaw and turned.

"She is nothing like that."

Marinette stopped.

"I don't believe a single word you just said, so I hope you have something better than that nonsense."

"N-no, Adrien— you just don't get it— " a girl stuttered.

"What's there to understand? That apparently everyone is weak enough to believe in this stuff without any proof? Where are your heads?" He escalated to shouting again and Marinette has to blink several times to hold herself up. There are a few clanks behind her before he continues. "I don't want her to see it like this, this would kill her. I'll take the fall for now, but I'm not done— "

He didn't finish and Marinette felt a weight on her shoulders and she knew he spotted her and she should have ran earlier. She pretended not to notice anyway and hiked her bag and continued towards the stairs.

"Marinette. Shit, hold up!"

She made it down the steps, fast taps while clutching the hand rail, and grabbed the door handle that led out the building. The sound of Adrien's fast steps came behind her and she shoved at the door to try to cut him off.

She made it a step outside when a warm hand gripped her elbow before the door could shut. "I don't want to talk, Adrien," she forced in a soft plea, turning her head away from him.

"Okay. Okay I get that, but at least take these."

Because he was holding her, she was forced to look at her old, destroyed skates, dangling in his hand. She almost didn't want to take them, like it was the sign of the end of something. She wrapped her hand around the worn and shredded laces, letting the weight settle to the pit of her stomach.

"Yeah, thanks," she barely mumbled around her plugged tears. Before Adrien was allowed to say another word, she bolted to the gates.

She cried half the night and even soaked some of her assignments and Adrien's notebook. She shoved her skates under her bed so she wouldn't be reminded of them but the image in her mind couldn't burn it away. Her parents fed her as many desserts as she wanted, she raged by playing Ultimate Mecha, and then did the worst thing: ranted to Alya.

"You thought telling no one would prove a point? You do realize isolating yourself  _empowered_ them, right? "

Marinette loved Alya for her honesty, but she also felt like shit when that honesty was most important. "You should be consoling me," she sniffled to the phone.

"No, I should blog about this, so in ten years you'll agree and praise me for calling you out before you became a stubborn idiotic...something!"

"An ass?" Marinette guessed.

"Yeah, I didn't want to be too harsh, but yes, an ass, Marinette."

Marinette chuckled and the harsh following snivel sounded especially pitiful and Alya probably thought the same.

Alya said, "Are you okay? Do I need to cut a bitch?"

"It's fine. Adrien was...He kind of beat you to it." Marinette listened to the pause over the phone. "You can say you told me so."

"I did. I really did."

"I kind of hate you right now," Marinette smiled. "I need to apologize to him. Again. And thank him. Again."

Adrien defending her was surprising. He seemed to surprise her often, recently. She was ready to toss their friendship into a trash bin but he proved to be bigger than her. He said he knew her better than that, trusted in her character more than everyone else. A man who had seen Marinette near her worst, who had barely been friends with her for a few weeks, who had— essentially— been rejected by the girl he defended. She didn't know what to make of him.

"What are you going to do about your skates?" She sounded especially mournful about that article and Marinette agreed.

She sighed. "I'll have to buy new ones, on top of styling them. I have time this weekend but…"

"Not really up to it, huh?" Alya asked then took Marinette's silence as affirmative. "I don't need to touch anyone to mess them up. It's kind of my superpower."

"Words are what got me here in the first place. Chloe must have been the one spreading those lies."

"I can't believe this is still happening in high school. Honestly Nino made it sound like Chloe was on the down low. I don't get what her deal is with you."

"I'm just that lucky." Marinette shrugged. They chatted a bit more than night until Alya got too tired. Marinette couldn't go to sleep because her head was buzzing from draining all her fluids into dramatic sobs. But it was over now, she had to move on, though she physically had no will to do so.

She slept on her balcony that night, restless and inviting the cold to chill her worries.

—

Marinette woke up with a sneeze and a headache. She didn't want to go to school; so she didn't. She feigned illness, which she'd never done before, and missing even one day of classes should give her a stroke, but it was a Friday and she mostly had history and humanities.

Instead she spent the day pacing, moping, and thinking of incomplete plans for the school year: would she compete on Wednesday, how should she handle the harassment problem, should she confront Chloe, how could she possibly thank Adrien. The thoughts blurred into Saturday and partly into Sunday until she finally got over herself and took a walk outside to clear her head.

She didn't check her phone all weekend after talking to Alya. She honestly wanted to talk to Adrien the most, tell him she didn't deserve his friendship or thanking him a million times but saying it over the phone was weak and she didn't want to be half assed about it. Plus what could she say to him in his position, 'Hey, even though your best friend is the Wicked Witch of the West, sending her monkey crones at me, you are the yellow brick road shining through the darkness.'

She didn't notice the clouds rolling in as she sat in the open square by the Seine. It was cold and windy and fit her reclusive mood. A droplet hit her face and she thought she was crying again but soon more fat drops hit her shoulders. She was drenched by the time she hauled herself from the steps to run for cover nearby. The crisp, fresh scent of rain brought her focus outward. She was a reasonable distance from home and she never minded the rain unless it was going to harm her bearings on her skates, but she supposed that wasn't an issue now.

The harsh splash of rain stayed for several minutes. Marinette began to step into the square and walk home like a drenched, pitiful animal when a blaring honk rang behind her.

She turned where the streets met the area and an open door to a black car presented Adrien getting out of the back. He held an umbrella above his head and jogged towards her.

"Need a ride?" He asked, sending a timid smile.

She didn't hesitate and ducked under the broad black umbrella to jog with him back to the car. The umbrella didn't mean much when she was already drenched. Marinette felt bad getting it into his car, feeling her clothes slip against the leather, and mumbled an apology.

"Don't worry about it. I tend to get mud, sweat, and blood all over the place anyway."

Marinette raised a brow. "Is there a secret life you need to tell me about?" She smiled lightly, rubbing her arms.

He darted his eyes around the car before ducking his head and whispering, "I didn't know how to tell you, but at night I don a black leather suit and save the people of Paris."

She gasped dramatically. "Batman?"

"Do I look like a forty year old killjoy to you?"

Marinette hummed, pretending to give it great thought.

"Thank you for showing me your true feelings," he said dryly.

Marinette snickered and Adrien turned to tell the driver where to go. Water was rolling down her neck from her bundled up hair, tickling and chilling her skin, and it began to irritate her.

"So, what were you doing out in the rain? It was clearly cloudy all m-morning."

Marinette missed Adrien's choked stumble as she untied her hair from the high bun. It stuck to her face in clumps and tangled against the seat behind her due to its ridiculous length. She managed to get it all over her shoulder as Adrien stared at her like a guppy.

"I was distracted, I guess," she replied. She looked towards Adrien, who's Adam apple bobbed as he nodded. "Look, um, Adrien— " She hesitated as Adrien dug into a compartment and took out a white towel. He probably kept it around for after practices, though he tended to ride his board home. "I need to thank you."

"You shouldn't," he said. He brought the towel to her face, wavered, then began wiping water from her cheeks and brow as if she were a precious thing. "It really was partly my fault any of this happened."

"You had nothing to do with it."

"I talked with all the girls, well the girls that fessed up, and found out where the rumors came from. Honestly, I instigated her anger towards you and I didn't know she would take it this far. _I_ should be apologizing."

So it was Chloe. Chloe doesn't do anything with anyone's permission, so Adrien was being harder on himself than he needed to be. "We can't both be sorry." She remained silent, watching his intense concentration on clearing the droplets. "Why did you defend me?" She suddenly had to ask.

"Why wouldn't I?" He took her silence. "You know why. The obvious reason."

She immediately smiled, earnestly keeping his gaze. "Because you're a good person?"

Adrien gave a deeply satisfying huff, eyes sparkling and mouth quirked, and Marinette felt a strange expansion of warmth in her chest. "It  _was_  the right thing to do. But I mean the other reason."

His motions were more deliberate, unhurried and content. He caressed the towel to below her chin and wiped along her jaw to the back of her neck. He held it there a while, solid and almost as if he considered tugging her closer and Marinette's head felt fuzzy.

She blinked and cleared her throat, causing Adrien to pull back, eyes darting down sheepishly, and then he offered the towel forward. She gratefully grasped it and ruffled through her long wet strands, trying not to overthink the acute thumping in her chest.

"Are you going to compete Wednesday?" Adrien asked.

She shrugged. "I don't think I have time to break in new skates."

"That wouldn't make a difference for you."

"Glad you have such faith in me."

"Without a doubt. You're amazing."

Marinette fiddled with the towel, almost dropping it, as her heart thumped harder. "I'm sure you can carry the team on your own."

"That's not why I want you there."

She looked up, curious. "Then why?"

"You're the only one who captures my attention. You carry so much life in your skating, and it's hard to look anywhere else. It makes me want to be better and, if I'm honest— " He stopped and shook his head. "It wouldn't be the same." He said it in such casual passing, like it was a plain fact, that she wondered how long he thought this way.

"So... you admit I'm better?"

"You have your good days," he quipped.

"Oh, wow! Agreste can throw some punches, too," she laughed and leaned to bump shoulders. A pleasing glow ran through her and she felt light, lighter than she had in weeks. Perhaps it's because all her problems exploded away in a single afternoon or because she finally got over herself with her relationship with Adrien.

His returning smile was sweet and sent a thrilling buzz through her torso. The tension she once felt with him was gone, no preconceptions jumped to her mind and she thought she was really lucky to have him around; she was really happy to have him around.

The car came to a stop in front of the bakery and Marinette handed the towel back to Adrien. He stared at it a while, his eyes far off before he looked up to meet hers. The air felt different then, thicker and charged like a premonition of bigger things to come.

"Mari— "

"Adrien I— "

They had cut each other off and chuckled until Adrien gestured for her to continue.

"I know I already said it but— well, I just have to say thank you. I couldn't ask for a better friend and I'm really glad its you."

"People don't adore me  _just_  for my looks, you know."

"Yeah. I know," she admitted, staring plainly at him to show she meant it. That she saw him for who he was and she didn't shy from it. That there may be a lot more secrets to unfold from him and maybe she was curious now, maybe she was excited to learn them all.

His eyes widened, gleaming, and face glowed in the clouded lighting of the car. He looked down to grabbed the umbrella again and as he offered it forward for Marinette to grasp, his voice shuddered when he mumbled, "Sometimes you can be really sly, Marinette."

Her hand was wrapped around the handle when she looked up, confused, and Adrien tugged the umbrella towards him and brought her forward. Adrien's cheek brushed against hers before a soft pecking gesture replaced it.

The backdoor was swung open, a rush of falling rain cracking through her frazzled mind, and Adrien had pulled back to gaze at her with smug affection. "You look gorgeous with your hair down. Like a princess."

Marinette couldn't move consciously; she hardly remembered getting out of the car with the umbrella pushed open and standing at the front of the bakery. It wasn't until the black vehicle turned the corner of her street, her watching it drive away, did she come to her senses. She could still feel the stinging kiss on her cheek, not at all unpleasant or abhorrent. Her knees buckled and she leaned against the door frame, the compliment zinging into her bones and the chill in the air useless against the slow building warmth to her cheeks.

Stupid, Tomcat.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Why hello there. I hope everything is going well. The story is done, so I'll probably be posting by the hour today as I finish final edits. It's not a pressure thing, it's a "I'm actually two days behind schedule and nothing is finished until its published" thing lol So yeah, happy times!
> 
> Thank you, Saccha and TOG84~~!
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

* * *

 

The backdoor to Marinette's home just clicked closed when she turned to leave, only to find a looming figure hovering two feet away. Not many knew of her home's back entrance. The bakery faced the main street and, since it also led upstairs to the house, catching a cookie was a preferable precursor to entering their home. So it was no surprise she jerked back, gripping the strap of her backpack to propel at the surprise guest, until the familiar shine of yellow locks on the morning sun caused her to relax.

She heaved a relieved sigh. "I should call you Mort Noir seeing how often you startle me in the morning."

"I always imagined my pet name being 'petit chou minou'. Or Chou Chat for when you're being playful," Adrien leered, his board tipped up against his thigh as he leaned against it.

Marinette silently sucked in a breath, honey and a spicy masculine cologne hitting her nose. Their close proximity procured new thoughts— an incessant buzzing ran underneath her skin. "You've thought about that, have you?" She sidestepped him, adding some distance, and began her trek to school.

"I've had some time." Adrien didn't hop on his board and instead lifted it to carry at his hip. His longer legs made his strides faster and he clearly had to take measured steps to keep Marinette's pace.

"Why are you here so early? And how did you know where to wait?"

Adrien always met her farther down the street, and, due to her destroyed method of transportation, she had to leave earlier than usual. Adrien turned his head to look across the street where there was a park across the way, but nothing of interest: some couples out walking dogs, individuals on morning jogs, and an old man who flew interesting kites on occasion. Today's was a dragon.

"Well, I actually came by yesterday. Your mom showed me the back entrance."

Marinette blinked. "Was it...before you gave me a ride?"

Adrien gave an affirmative hum. "You didn't answer my texts. I was worried." The morning light shone at a perfect angle, revealing the red on his ears even though his voice was confident and blasé.

"Oh." Marinette's heart stuttered in her chest and she forced her gaze forward.

After Adrien dropped her off last night, Marinette had the disconcerting thought that she might actually, possibly, in the smallest manner, have a crush on Adrien. It was rather cliche, taking an interest in her defender against a group of bullies— who was in fact  _the_  best friend of the  _head_  bully, so really it should all cancel out, and yet— but she wrote it off as a fleeting thought.

Adrien was amazing for many things: academics, skateboarding, and popularity without being pompous. Well, not too pompous, she amended. Many girls would fall for that—  _are_  falling for that— but she suspected those weren't the reasons that incited her feelings. Adrien asked questions about her life, helped her in classes, escorted her to school, and defended her against his peers. He was kind and considerate and she swooned over it. She didn't know why Adrien liked her but it obviously wasn't for  _her_  kindness or consideration— she rejected him after all.

It was clear crushing on Adrien Agreste was a phase she would overcome with time. She bet half the student body went through the same phase and why he held such a great reputation. He was just too nice. She was happy to be his friend, honored, and she owed him too much to consider anything more.

They approached the school gates, more students milling around in the early hours, and Marinette touched Adrien's arm. "Wait, um, I made something for you last night." She rotated her backpack in front of her and dug inside to grab a long box. "I had a lot of energy, actually, so I made a few of them, nothing special, but I— uh, you were on my mind, I guess, when I first started and— just, here."

Adrien stared, brows raised, at the black box with green polka dots. He hardly moved, fixed on the gift as if it was alien, and Marinette was half prepared to toss it at him and run.

Eventually he reached forward to take it from her hand. He unfolded the top, chest still as he held his breath, then his eyes widened and a baffled huff passed his lips. "You made these… for me?"

"I mean— I have a few more boxes but… you can… say that." Marinette clenched and unclenched the straps of her bag, eyeing the long path to the school building. Giving friends gifts from the bakery was nothing, she did it all the time. There was no reason to be so nervous to give it to Adrien, who was well beyond deserving of it. It was just a box of macarons.

Adrien's resulting smile was soft and radiant— it made Marinette squint. He stepped closer, his scent hitting her nostrils again, and Marinette leaned away, her shoulders raised and stiff.

"I'll cherish them," Adrien said.

"Don't cherish them. Eat them," Marinette mumbled back, not sure where to look when a personified sun ate up her eyesight. She poked at his chest to tip him away and he moved obligingly. "I'll— see you in class." She nodded before jogging toward the building doors, vehemently trying to not re-play his joyful expression again and again in her mind.

—-

Whispers accompanied Marinette everywhere in school and she had no doubt it was over the incident at her lockers last week. She assumed the gossip traveled around like a headline: Group of girls destroy skates of ex-rival skater— Zag's skateboarding team captain defends in the aftermath. What a soap opera.

On the bright side, she wasn't pestered all day. Rather, the day was uneventful— except Adrien's constant smug cheer each time he popped a macaroon into his mouth. He mostly did it in class when he sat in front of her, wiggling in his chair like Augustus Gloop on chocolate bars. She had half a mind to kick him in his seat. Usually such a familiar attitude would earn her a few evil glares or notes in her locker, but neither occurred. In fact she would say people were avoiding her.

Marinette asked Alya about it after school.

"Did Nino happen to say anything about Adrien on Friday?"

"Like what?" Alya asked, popping a piece of gum into her mouth. Then her eyes lit up and she opened her mouth so quickly she almost dropped the piece. "Oh! Yeah, I asked Nino the day after you called me. Adrien went full Batman— "

Marinette had a short coughing fit.

"— and used interrogation threats to get them to talk. I don't know what he said, but he did report Chloe to the Dean. Not that he  _said_  Chloe to Nino, probably trying to cover for her, but we both know it's her. The other girls off, something about "providing recompense". Whatever that's going to be— or if they're even going to do it! Adrien's got real guts to put faith in them like that."

"Yeah, sounds like him," Marinette mused.

"Side note, how's your room?" Alya asked before blowing a big pink bubble.

"Oh." Marinette shook her head and gave a nervous chuckle. "Cleaned. Only a few bags of chips and cake crumbs just about everywhere, but I learned how to get ice cream out between keys on the keyboard." She remembered the last time she was miserable, she learned how to get chocolate out of white sheets— by buying new sheets.

Alya nodded. "Good, because I'm coming over today. I don't trust you alone anymore. I get a boyfriend and you're recreating Mean Girls. You're trouble, gurl."

"Hey! I didn't start anything," Marinette argued. "If anything I should blame you for telling me to get friendly with Adrien in the first place."

"You mean the good guy that defended you? You wanna throw down in a logic battle, cause I'll wreck you Dupain-Cheng." Alya raised her brows and smirked.

And Marinette knew she would and said no more.

—

Wednesday gave Monday and Tuesday a miss, and it was the first competition of the semester. It was an hour before and Marinette was hovering at her parent's bakery stand, staring forlornly as everyone did their laps.

"Why didn't you buy skates this weekend sweetie? It's weird to see you without wheels outside the house," Mama asked.

"Too much studying to do, I guess," Marinette dodged.

"Studying the inside of ice cream cartons?" Papa quipped.

Marinette pouted. "Still not as familiar as you." She patted her Papa's belly and he gave a hearty laugh. He threw her into a bear hug which slightly raised her spirits.

"Hey, Marinette!" Adrien called her from the other side of the park.

She kissed her parents on the cheek before jogging over. Next to Adrien was an elderly man with kind eyes and a bent form, holding a medium sized box. Something about his facial features seemed familiar but she was positive they never met.

"I wanted you to meet a good friend. Master Fu," Adrien said.

"It's good to finally speak to you, Miss Ladybug," Master Fu greeted.

"Oh, you know me?" Marinette asked.

"My daughter never stops talking about you. Passionate, courageous, encouraging. You're practically part of the family," he said affectionately.

Marinette gave him a puzzled stare, so the man gestured towards a ramp on the far end of the park where the Astruc team was practicing. Tikki stood among them, clapping and smiling, and it clicked.

"Master Fu. You're Tikki's father! Oh, it's wonderful to meet you sir."

Adrien chimed in. "And Plagg's father-in-law."

"Yes, my eccentric son-in-law. Great skater. When he feels up to it." He made a tired expression which Adrien solemnly mimicked. "Anyway, I'm here to give you this. It's a gift from some generous friends and they were adamant about getting it to you by today."

He passed the box to Marinette. The weight was greater than anything her friends should be buying her. Marinette glanced at Adrien, hoping this wasn't from him or it would pile with all his other generous actions. She flicked the lid up and shuffled the crumpled gift wrap paper inside before almost dropping the box a second later.

The new skates were urban style and already designed to her preference. The usual red with black dots covered the base and the wheels were translucent to show a red to black fade. Large wheels on a short frame, black buckles straps, an inline setup, and no heel brakes; everything she could possibly want.

"I can't— this is too much, " she stammered.

"It's paid for and I was very honored to make it. Now the ladies did have some difficulties guessing boot size and had no idea above wheels or brakes, but I asked Tikki for advice and I hope it's to your liking."

"To my liking?" Marinette was so touched her eyes stung. "This is a work of art. I can't thank you enough."

"It's not necessary. I believe your friends are waiting for you over there." Master Fu pointed to the crowd a few feet away and Marinette was surprised to see the familiar faces of many of her ex-harassers. An instinctual roll of contempt hit her at the sight of them bunched together, but one of them caught her eye and elbowed another to look towards her until all the girls were sheepishly smiling or waving.

Marinette blinked, and glanced at Adrien to confirm the sight. He wasn't looking at them, but rather gauging her reaction. She looked down at the box again and admired one of the wheels. She didn't know exactly what to feel. Touched, hopeful, or perhaps a little bitter to think they could buy her— but she knew she would hear them out. The gift was thoughtful; and Marinette could relate to reacting badly after taking inaccurate information at face value. Perhaps people could do better given the opportunity.

"You don't  _have_  to compete today," Adrien interjected on her thoughts. "But a certain Chat misses seeing you in action and I know you're dying to play around in those."

A slow smile built on her lips. "Do I charm you with my skating, Chat Noir?"

"You do much more than that, princess." He winked. "Now hurry up before I have to carry the team alone."

Marinette shook her head at him as excitement flared in her. She could talk to the girls after the meet. Adrien was right, she did miss skating. It was more than the tricks or the accomplishment— it was an extension of her. She didn't want to think about point values or challenging herself, she just wanted to feel the fast air and move to the rhythm of some music as the week bled off of her in strides.

So she did.

Frustration, gratefulness, and relief were ground into the concrete. Her thoughts turned into fervent impulsive actions that transformed her clumsy walking form into a gliding grace of rhythm and emotion. She did toe loops, Deckchairs, Olivers, 360s on the ramp, grinding on the rails and playful dance movements that probably had names but she was just having fun and getting her body to burn.

She saw Adrien beaming at her when she stopped at the lip of the bowl before the end of her first run. In a moment of whimsy, she blew a kiss before dropping in backwards. The bulging eyes on his face made it worth it when she wobbled on her skill and almost didn't make her backwards combo. It was a good laugh.

She came in first, though it wasn't her best performance, and Adrien barely came in second which made her tease him for holding back.

"As if I could hold back when my Lady is watching," he said.

"Nino almost beat you. You almost lost to a skateboard attached to a stick."

"Scooters are just as valid and difficult as any other."

"I think you were distracted by all your cute fans," she teased.

"Nope, just one."

She went up to the girls after competition, the air awkward at first. Then they were all talking at once, blubbering tears falling at their mistake and gesticulating their own anger at being misinformed. It was weird wanting to console them but refreshing to hear their sincerity. They didn't think the skates were a good enough apology but it was the least they could do. Marinette agreed but she was tired of holding grudges. Chloe's effect was enough for a lifetime.

Adrien was waiting a few feet away, milling with Nino and making some gestures at the ramp. They were probably regaling each other with stories of their runs. He turned and caught Marinette's gaze. His grin was bright and soft around the edges.

It was familiar and yet she lost her breathe when an unknowing ache hit her so hard she's surprised she didn't fall.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here ya go.
> 
> Thank you, Saccha and TOG84~~!
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

* * *

 

In the coming week, for once, school felt normal. No drama, no rules, no suspicions or fears. All the walls that separated her from females classmates were shattered and, subsequently, her relationship with Adrien began to mature.

No one dared send negative reception because Adrien was near her, so she stopped caring and increased her interaction with him. When he walked her to school they would talk to the lockers and all the way to class. They bantered a lot, mostly her insulting his terrible sense of humor, and they discussed a lot of inconsequential things like they're favorite music or topics in class.

Marinette's favorite was addressing Adrien's anime nerd nature since it got his eyes to light up and he would talk non stop without Marinette having to interject. She rather liked his babbling. Marinette also learned how little she initiated conversation since they met. She would call out to him on occasion and Adrien would look up with an astonished glee that tickled her stomach. She made sure to call out to him more often.

Eventually their time together didn't seem to be enough and Marinette was curious to open Adrien beyond his flirting bravado. She thought she'd try to talk to him in practice but that Wednesday he didn't show up.

"Where's Adrien?" Marinette asked Nino.

"He always disappears after the beginning of competition season," Nino said grudgingly. He saw Marinette's alarmed expression and backtracked. "It's nothing bad! It's a family thing. He just won't come to practice as often. I'm surprised he didn't tell you."

Marinette knew Adrien didn't practice as often as the rest of the team, it was one of her original transgressions against him. She always thought it was because he was lazy and too busy basking in love induced fans in his off time. But she knew him better and was more worried than suspicious.

"No, I didn't know. Maybe it's not important then." Marinette brushed it off and continued her laps, though a nagging concern burned in the back of her mind.

—-

Since Marinette couldn't hang with Adrien at practice, she thought of a different approach. As they were walking out of class, laughing about a XYZ performance, Adrien was about to wave her away for rec but she made a reaching gesture to stop him.

" Um, I don't know what you usually do, but do you think you want to hang out during lunch today?"

His responding expression was so electrifyingly astonished and joyful she continued to ramble over it before he got the wrong idea. "I'm sure Nino and Alya would love to have us all together anyway. She's been on me about us hanging as a group, you know, and uh—I haven't seen you outside of classes besides in the morning and um— "

He still looked overly smug, his eyes bright. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Alright, cool, awesome, um, I'll tell Alya and see you later." She awkwardly waved and shuffled off.

She found Alya down the stairs and relayed her awkward encounter.

"A double date for lunch? You bold bug." Alya grinned.

"No~," she protested. "We're supporting each other as fellow third wheels. And good friends."

"Aw! You're good friends! I never thought I'd hear the words. My baby girl is growing up." Alya mimics tears. "How long did it take? Give another two months and you'll be rounding second base, right?"

Marinette rolled her eyes and promptly changed the topic to the XYZ conversation she had with Adrien earlier. Somehow it was less entertaining with Alya.

—

Adrien and Nino met Alya and Marinette at the gates. As soon as the couple in the group locked eyes, they were transported into their own world of cooing and hand holding. Adrien and Marinette made cordial grimaces, watching their best friends melt into saps was not a pleasant sight, and walked behind them as they decided to munch at a nearby cafe.

Marinette grabbed their table in the patio because she was the only one eating her own lunch, and the rest went to order their food. They returned with plates of salad, soup, a sandwich, and a slice of cake between the love birds. Adrien sat next to Marinette and Alya was with Nino on the opposite end.

"Oh wow, Marinette," Adrien expressed next to her. He was ogling her lunch, something she threw together without much care, and Marinette took a brief moment to comprehend why.

"Oh, the pastries. Is it too obvious I live in a home made of sugar and bread?"

"It looks amazing. What's that right there?" He pointed to a colorful stack of cream, berries, and purple puff pastry.

"Papa playing around. It's a millefeuille but he colored the puff pastry, added those thin pink layers of chocolate, colored the cream blue and added only dark berries. He was trying some galaxy theme, I think." Marinette picked up the delicate treat and presented it before Adrien. "Wanna bite?"

It wasn't until Adrien hesitated and glanced between her fingers and her expression that Marinette considered she made an egregious error. Marinette is use to offering her food to Alya, especially sweets, and she loved giving samples of her family's proud creations. However, offering it in such close proximity to Adrien, and stupidly in front of love-topia across the way, created an instant intimate atmosphere.

Adrien simpered, looking much too pleased, before accepting the offering and wrapping his mouth around half the pastry and biting down. Marinette didn't even attempt to catch the cream oozing from the sides, transfixed as she was on her mounting lapse of judgement. Adrien decided keeping eye contact as colorful creams and crusts entered his mouth was a great idea and she hoped the shift in her seat wasn't too obvious.

The eye contact didn't last long as he hummed around the pastry, clear approval shining on his face, and he licked his lips to maintain the flavor.

"Wow. That's amazing. Incredible," he gushed.

Marinette didn't want to comment and popped the other half in her mouth to prevent doing so. Then she almost choked realizing she just shared an indirect kiss with Adrien of all people. She didn't dare to look at his inevitable grandiose expression over that one.

"Not to downplay your parents, Mari," Nino cut in before looking at Adrien. "But with how often you even eat sweets, anything with sugar must taste like nirvana."

Marinette swallowed her food and whipped her head at Adrien. "You don't like sweets?"

"No, no, of course I love them. It's just a dietary thing with my dad. I try to sneak them whenever I can outside the house." Adrien smiled winningly.

"So I'm your sugar-dealer?" Marinette raised her brow. "That explains a lot."

Nino cut in again. "You can't blame him. His dad is kind of a hardass, making him work photoshoots and studying outside of school. Having you as a friend is a blessing. If you feed him enough maybe he can hang out with us more often."

Adrien gave a withering sort of stare at Nino and Marinette wondered of Adrien didn't like talking about his home life.

"When did you start skating, Adrien?" Marinette changed the subject.

Adrien stabbed at his salad, head tilted. "Ten. It was mostly something I did in my room since my father encouraged fencing at the time, but once I met Nino," he smiled at his friend who had turned and was talking to his girlfriend, "I dropped fencing and went all out into skateboarding."

"Wait, woah, in your room? You skated indoors?"

"Yeah, I have a decent sized ramp in my room. I use it a lot." He took a few more bites of his salad before noticing Marinette's bemused gawking. "Oh right. I guess that is a bit weird."

"A rich boy otaku skateboarder. You shouldn't be real, Agreste." She smirked, finally deciding to pop some of her lunch into her mouth.

"Am I a dream come true?" he asked.

"So you dream about yourself often?"

"I do meet all my standards." Adrien chuckled when Marinette pushed at his cheek, exasperated. "That's one of my favorite shirts you've made, by the way." Adrien pointed at her attire.

Marinette had to look down, not remembering what she wore that day. "You know I made this?"

"You always wear original clothes at meets, and I remember that one from," he hummed as he thought, "last spring in April, I think. I'm a fashion designer's son, I know original when I see it."

Marinette busied herself with her lunch, fiddling with the flakes on her croissant and taking small bites from the cheese and meat inside. "Thank you, um, I didn't think anyone noticed." She flicked at an imaginary strand next to her ear.

"Oh, try me. I have a couple favorites I could describe in detail. You have serious talent. I love what you wear everyday."

Marinette's heart quivered. She never asked how Adrien knew she wanted to be a designer, and she definitely wouldn't have guessed he noticed her handiwork as well. It's the greatest compliment she could ask for, and from an Agreste no less. Funny how she never would have thought that a few months ago.

"W-whis...which one is your favorite?" she was compelled to ask.

Adrien gave a far off smile, leaning an elbow casually on the table. "Last summer. Can't remember the day but your hair was in long pigtails, flowing around like ribbons, and you had a navy blue top, that laced in the back from the neck to the waist with these thick shoe laces. The front had an asymmetrical cut that you covered with lace. High knee socks and high waist boy shorts with embroidered words on the back pockets." He paused a second, a shadow crossing his eyes as he looked at the table, but he blinked and it was replaced with a cocky grin. "Sophisticated in the front but urban and dangerous in the back is how I remembered it. It was very you. Impossible to look away from."

Marinette remembered that one, she'd be an idiot to ever forget that one. It was the few she made specifically to impress someone— and it did but she didn't expect it impressed anyone else. The outdoors felt much warmer as she remembered her thoughts the day she skated in that outfit, how it must have looked to Adrien. Gosh, she's an idiot.

"Yeah, I liked that one, too," she mumbled, too embarrassed to pursue it further, though in a way she was flattered beyond belief. She was curious to his thoughts as a model, but more to his thoughts in general. A light flutter always ran after his compliments, a feeling that grew each time.

"Hey, lovebirds," Alya said. "Look at this."

Marinette took offense to the term considering the limb lock of Alya and Nino, but looked towards the poster Alya plucked from the side railing of the cafe. It read "Perdu en Masse Festival" with a red silhouette of the globe, fireworks, and a woman opening her heart.

"This is that huge university festival. Different departments hosts booths to raise money for their global issue. We should go this year! Take our mind off of studying for a while," Alya exclaimed.

"It's next weekend? We have another meet. It's a bit short notice," Marinette hesitated.

"I want to go. It sounds great," Adrien said.

"Nice! I'm in too. Come on, Mari, it's more fun last minute," Nino encouraged.

Marinette was caged in, everyone looking at her with pleading eyes and she supposed one weekend wouldn't kill her. And Adrien had been helping with classes anyway so it's not as bad as she was imagining. "I guess it sounds pretty fun."

Adrien's returning grin made it worth it.

—-

Adrien's ghosting increased after the group lunch. He couldn't skate with her to school, he was quiet in classes, and she never saw him at the skatepark. That nagging feeling that it was connected to why he had to miss practices was growing and she wanted to ask but she was worried it was none of her business, even if she considered them good friends.

So she was surprised when he texted her the night before their second scheduled meet:

_TomCat: Hey! (- 3 -) >_

Hi? 

_TomCat: I want you to meet someone._

Marinette thumped onto her bed, head hitting the pillow and waiting for the next message. A second later her phone pinged and flashed a photo of a two toned cat sitting elegantly on a ramp. From the fluorescent lighting it must’ve been the ramp Adrien had in his house. Marinette pursed her lips at the proof. 

The top of the cat’s fur is a light yellow, as blonde as she’d ever seen on a cat, and the rest blended into a clean white. The fur was perfectly styled and clean and their gaze was bright green and affectionate.

_TomCat: This is Emelie and she says hi ;)_

She’s gorgeous

_TomCat: I’ll admit, she’s the only girl that could compete in a beauty contest with you._

So, your cat?

_TomCat: I got her when I was eleven. She’s my best friend._

Oooh, so that’s why you love cats so much. 

_TomCat: Yes, it’s true. She’s my inspiration._

Thank you for showing her to me. I’d love to meet her one day.

_TomCat: I just missed you and thought you should’ve met already._

 

A torrential flutter throbbed through Marinette’s torso and she bit her lower lip from grinning too hard:

We see each other all the time

_TomCat: Doesn’t feel like it_

Marinette agreed but getting him to admit it— that it wasn’t just her imagination— eased her worries. 

_TomCat: You look beautiful tonight_

Marinette smiled now:

You can’t see me

_TomCat: I don’t have to_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALSO!!!! : Amazing Artwork by ZiriO!! I think its awesome and I'm glad they were inspired. 
> 
> http://art-of-zirio.tumblr.com/post/175280344622/oh-im-going-to-give-myself-a-break-i-said-i


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Almost there!
> 
> Thank you, Saccha and TOG84~~!
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

* * *

 

Adrien skated with Marinette to school the next morning and the vigorous sun tickled her skin and empowered her breath. She didn't know how she woke up in such a grand mood but she didn't question it.

Adrien was in high spirits as well. She could tell in his carefree grins and his eagerness to drag her out of class after his disappearing act. He made her laugh during rec — chronicling his experience putting exotic bugs and animals near his face for modeling gigs— then they listened to songs together before the start of the meet. It was simple but she couldn't recall anything that would've made her day more enjoyable.

They both did really well at the meet. She skated hard until she was heaving and might have showed off a bit with her good mood. Her scores were her highest record, along with Adrien, but she still won out in the end. Marinette was about to throw a few jabs in his direction before congratulating him when Alya jogged up and pointed behind her.

"Hey, guess who came to visit." She grinned.

Marinette scrunched her brows and turned. The crowds were dispersing, people ambling about to the booths or chatting in small groups, and she didn't see anyone familiar for a second. Then the catch of light on blue streaks brought a surge of affection so great Marinette bursted her skates into a fast stride.

"Luka!" Marinette beamed.

"Mari—!" Luka's incomplete greeting was interrupted when he caught Marinette into a tight hug. He chuckled against her hair and did a small spin, which lifted Marinette high as she was barely over half his height. "I'm glad you haven't forgotten about me yet."

"What are you doing here? What happened to the tour?" She leaned back in his grasp, still hovering in his arms. They were always familiar with each other, even before dating. She would consider him her bestest friend, pretty close to Alya, if it wasn't for him running off and living his dreams.

"We got a break, a small one, but I wanted to visit my biggest support group. I was waiting on Juleka but she's probably off making out with Rose." He shrugged, used to the situation.

"Then I guess you're stuck catching up with me until she's back." Marinette grinned.

"Oh, is that how it is?" Luka ducked his head and their foreheads bumped playfully.

Marinette giggled. "Do you have any other option?"

A throat cleared behind them and Luka thumped Marinette back to her skates, an amused expression planted on his face, and they turned to Alya, Nino, and Adrien bemusedly staring at them. She wasn't even aware they followed behind her and she laughed haltingly from embarrassment.

"Sorry, uh— Nino, do you remember Luka? Adrien, not sure if you've met before," Marinette said.

"Yeah, man, what's up? You've been touring with a band, right?" Nino asked and came up to Luka to give him a hand clap and pounding hug. They were all in middle school together and Nino always respected Luka's talents as a musician.

"Yup, we've been working hard since the start of the summer. Hardrock Akumas. Or Nothing Rhymes with Orange. Sometimes it's AD and the D Bags, but, anyway, if you ever want a free concert, just ask Juleka," Luka offered.

"Oooh, babe, we should go." Nino's eyes sparkled at his girlfriend.

"Maybe during spring break," Alya conceded, but signaled a darting glance to him afterwards.

Nino tilted his head, clearly not understanding her gesture, but Marinette didn't watch the rest of the exchange as Luka moved forward to greet Adrien.

"Chat Noir, right?" Luka teased.

Luka always had a charming temperament. There was something about him that relaxed everyone and he hated to cause offense. Marinette cannot recall a single person that truly disliked Luka. So she was underwhelmed by Adrien's reaction.

"Yeah. That's me." Adrien gave a stilted smile and a timid handshake. "I remember seeing you at the skatepark a lot." He gave a quick glance to Marinette as he said it.

"I mostly went because of our Lady Queen. She always inspired my music and she loved skating to them. We were a good pair." He gave a fond smile to Marinette that she couldn't help to return.

Adrien watched the exchange. "Yeah. I heard." He scratched the back of his neck and looked backwards to the crowd. "Look, I gotta go. It was nice meeting you." He waved and turned to leave.

His parting expression didn't sit well with Marinette and she signalled Luka to wait as she caught up to Adrien. "Hold up!" Adrien stopped his walk and barely gave Marinette a glance. "You did amazing today. I thought you'd be happy. Smug even." She offered a small smile but when he didn't respond she stared, concerned, and touched his forearm. "Is something bothering you?"

"Nope, nothing," he said and stared at her hand.

She couldn't read him with his face closed off and blank, almost practiced. She thought he looked sullen, which pained her, but she wouldn't say she was an expert. She wanted to see him smiling and teasing, actions she found familiar and viewed with fondness.

"Are you sure, because I've been worried about you. I just want to make sure you're doing okay."

Adrien looked at her face, his expression thawing. "You were?"

"Of course I was." She smiled at him. "Look, I'm gonna catch up with Luka, but I'll text you right after to check in. You can tell me about that new show, um, One Pun Man." She would rather invite him to join them, to cheer him up, but considering his ghosting the past week he probably really did have to leave and she didn't want to pressure him.

Adrien's face fell, a stiff clench of his jaw and the gleam in his eyes receding to a shadow. "Yeah, that would be great. I'll see you." He moved forward, tearing her light grip on his arm, and disappeared in the crowd.

Marinette didn't feel better about the exchange at all, and felt like she made something worse.

—

Luka and Marinette spent the rest of the day together. Juleka never showed up at the park so he mentioned catching her at the house. They got fizzy drinks and walked across the city aimlessly, talking about his band and her life at the school. It was unavoidable that she mentioned Adrien two or three times, but Luka perceived it was often enough to comment.

"I thought I saw something with you two earlier," he revealed.

"What? There's no 'thing'. We're good friends. To my better surprise," she joked.

"Marinette, I have never seen you eye a guy's backside as you did with Adrien."

"I wasn't looking at his ass, oh my god!" Marinette chuckled and covered her face.

"But, genuinely, I think I have a contender and it hasn't even been a year yet."

Marinette pursed her lips. "Come on, Luka, you're being ridiculous."

"Ridiculous that I'm a contender or that he is?" He grinned.

"Well— obviously…" Marinette's brain paused and she couldn't finish the thought. "Um, neither. We decided to take some time apart while you pursue your dream and Adrien is so...I dunno, not my type."

Luka just gave a raised brow. "You don't have to pretend with me, Mari. Even I know getting back with you is a slim chance, though I dare to hope, and your type doesn't have an exterior."

Marinette's throat constricted as she couldn't respond to either statement. Luka was always perceptive, especially when it came to reading beneath the surface. She always told him everything when he was around, especially the emotions she even found too embarrassing to tell Alya. Her growing feelings for Adrien— to say that outloud felt like accepting a small flame that would slowly engulf her.

"You want to hear a secret?" Luka cut in when the silence stretched too long. "I got a fortune telling early in the summer. And you know what this woman said? 'Your greatest joy will be your greatest heartbreak'. At first I thought it was leaving you and the distance would kill us, but seeing the way Adrien looked at you— I think it was seeing you happy with someone, even if it wasn't me. That was it."

"You're taking fortune teller advice now? How far you've fallen, Mr Couffaine." Marinette said, though her voice cracked. She wished her romantic feelings didn't fade for Luka, it hurt to see him carrying his emotions on his shoulder. He always was too honest.

"I've always been a little spiritual, you know that." He nudged her shoulder with his own, any indication of his feelings shining beneath the surface of his gaze.

"I do." She looked along a barren street with small shops and sweet smells of cinnamon. "I will be happy for you too, when it happens," she admitted.

Luka linked their arms together, kissed her forehead, and continued their walk until the sun broke from the sky.

—-

Adrien gave a detached reply when she tried texting him, reaffirming her suspicions that he was ghosting and busy with whatever he had at home. At first it felt like it was none of her business, but he looked sullen in class the next day and it reminded her of her attitude when she was being harassed. She was troubled to see him upset, but she also didn't want to watch him drown alone like she tried to do.

She caught him down the hall after lunch and was determined to grill him or maybe find a way for Nino to cheer him up.

Adrien's tall frame, head bent as if listening to something, blocked a smaller figure across from him. Marinette craned her neck to see their face and when Chloe Bourgeois came into view, she was taken aback. Chloe looked fierce but sympathetic as she whispered to Adrien. Chloe glanced to the side and caught Marinette's hovering. She sent a menacing glare.

Marinette's emotions were so befuddled, she couldn't even manage to make a face in return. She thought Chloe was suspended by the Dean. She thought Adrien wouldn't dare talk to her after what she did, but rather it looked like he was confiding with her.

Chloe looked to Adrien again, whose shoulders were hunched, and went in for a kiss on the cheek and a tight hug. A harsh stab hit Marinette's torso. She recognized the feeling instantly, her conversation with Luka echoing in her mind, and the longer she looked at Chloe the more she wanted to rend her away from Adrien, and not just because she was a conniving witch.

Adrien hadn't confessed to Chloe that year, he didn't walk her to school each morning, and Marinette certainly never even heard Chloe's name even uttered from his mouth. Marinette was ashamed at the tempest of bitterness flooding her thoughts, but an unconscious panic was mounting in her.

Adrien had pulled away the past week and she assumed it was because of home but maybe he was losing interest in her. After all, what reason was there to commit when she couldn't even admit her own feelings. Insistent stabbing hit her chest and a terrible chasm sat in her throat. She was an idiot.

When the two parted, Adrien hitched his backpack and gave a wave to Chloe, walking down the hall without turning back. Chloe continued her heated stare at Marinette.

"Congradu-fuck-ulations, Dupain-Cheng. You just have a knack for ruining everything, don't you?"

Marinette clenched her jaw. "What are you talking about?"

"I told you not to get in my business this year and I thought Lila's expertise would bring you down, but you just couldn't resist playing Adrien like a fiddle. You're really heartless."

"Lila?" Marinette racked her brain to remember the name she realized she hadn't heard in a while. "Oh, right, what expertise? When she lied about Adrien? That wasn't my fault."

"Are you brain damaged, or was it just theatrics when you ran off after your skates were destroyed?"

Marinette paused to put the pieces together. Lila and her skates. Lila lied about... "She spread those rumors."

"I really liked her, smart girl, but I didn't realize she was clumsy enough to lose Adrien's respect so fast. She was a good friend while it lasted."

"I thought  _you_ — but you knew she what she was doing. Did you tell her to spread those lies?"

"Of course not. She's good at amassing armies against someone she thinks is a threat. Her fingerprints alone were all over it."

"But you knew, laughed about it, and you have to gall to call  _me_  heartless? Are you shitting me?"

"Excuse me— "

"No, you shut up. I let you bully me in middle school, hoping you would get better. Teachers told me to big the bigger person, that I should forgive you, and I did. Again and again. Bottling it up and hating you silently. Bottling it up and hating anyone associated to you. So what happens when I come back to a school you occupy? I get shit on  _again,_ and for what? Your little school war of 'who gets to nab Adrien Agreste'?

I'm not taking your condescending shit again, Chloe. You have a problem, I hope you tell me directly. Don't drag Adrien into your manipulative mind games."

Chloe's eyes glowed furious. "I would never manipulate, Adrien. I'm the last person who would ever do that."

Marinette dubiously stared at her. "Right. And you're not in love with him either." Marinette remembered how Chloe gloated about their friendship in middle school. She toted posters, she gave him pet names, it was clear she was deeply attached to him.

She scoffed, "Of course, I love him."

"Then you would stop any girl from getting close to him. Creating petty wars, letting Lila torment me."

"Of cour— Ooh, I see. You mean romantically. Oh honey, no," she cackled. "I mean he's perfect in every way, daddy would be thrilled, but just no."

Marinette blinked, brows tense. "I don't understand."

"You don't have to understand. Are you my therapist? I protect Adrien from harpies like you, thinking you know him and care about him because he _smiled_  at you few times. If I have to hang on his arm like a love-lorn puppy to keep them away, then I will. Adrien only deserves real love. Not the people who will take advantage of his connections, flaunt him like a prize, or take his goodwill as allowance. He has enough of that.

You, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I dislike you on a personal level, but, for Adrien, you would be the worst of them all."

"Why am I the worst?" Marinette had a feeling Chloe meant it, and she was so convicted, her eyes steely and passionate, that Marinette feared whatever she said would be the truth.

"Because you hated him before you even met him," Chloe said. "Yeah, I heard about it. You wouldn't talk to him, and you didn't want to be friends with him. You made your judgement with zero consideration of his feelings. He already has a life where he doesn't get to decide anything, he doesn't need a relationship like that too. "

"I wasn't—" She cut herself off because there was nothing to say and Chloe knew it too.

"And now I think we both have better things to do than bicker at each other. Stop hurting Adrien, and there won't be anymore problems."

Her flats tapped against the marble floor as she walked forward, but before she fully passed Marinette she did a soft groan and turned. "I was a bitch in middle school, alright? I was going through some things at home and you're right to never forgive me. In a way, I am sorry for everything I've done. It wasn't right. And I still dislike you but it's...I would never do now what I use to do then. That's all I've got to say."

Chloe continued down the hall, and Marinette hardly registered the half worn apology. She was still stuck on Chloe's accusation and despaired at the truth in it. She swallowed the bitter idea that the moment she decided to acknowledge her feelings for Adrien was the moment she may have completely lost his.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter is larger than the rest and is also the, "Obviously you've watched Kaichou wa Maid-sama" chapter. lol ONE MORE TO GO!
> 
> Thank you, Saccha and TOG84~~!
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

* * *

 

Marinette almost wanted to skip the festival.

She was worried Adrien wouldn't show because they had only interacted in classes, and even then he might as well have been absent with his bland responses and too dutiful note taking. It was obvious he was upset, and Marinette still speculated whether it was related to home or perhaps he was avoiding her. Chloe had insinuated it was Marinette's fault and she wracked her brain for hours to land with nothing.

Marinette took the metro and then walked the rest of the way to the festival. She first saw the lovebirds near the entrance and her disappointment mounted. A moment later, bouncing yellow locks came up behind them, clapping Nino's back in greeting, and she expelled a relieved breath.

She jogged to the group, her black boots thumping on concrete, and waved them down. She slowed when she caught Adrien's blatant ogling, flutters hitting her stomach and she wrestled with a stray piece of hair.

Adrien started, "Mari, that's the— "

"Does it look bad?" She said, twisting as she looked down at her outfit.

She had originally made it as a gift to Luka, both a self confidence boost and a fan to the flames of their brief relationship. However ever since Adrien mentioned loving it, she could only imagine she made it for him, that he could savor every aspect that went into making it with passionate detail. And yes, she may have conjured a fantasy or two on the subject.

The outfit was the same as he described except she added a jacket around her waist, conscious it would get colder in the day, which covered the embroidery on the back pockets that read: 'Rock Star's GF'. The shirt's laced backing opened wider since last year, she must have grown a bit, but it still fit like a glove.

"You're really cruel to throw this at me, Mari," Adrien said.

Marinette panicked. She wore it to cheer him up and she didn't think that was the appropriate reaction. "R-really? I kind of thought it was cute— "

"Oh, it's fatally worse than cute." That's when she noted his flushed face. His eyes were dilated, brimming with fervor, and a hand ruffled through his hair in his usual nervous gesture.

A shiver ran up her spine and the hairs on her arms stood up. She felt like a rabbit under the gaze of an all consuming fox, and it was a great shame Alya and Nino were there. Somehow the couple missed the entire interaction as they were entranced with one another as they always were. They called Adrien and Marinette forward to begin exploring the event. Marinette shuffled a reasonable distance from Adrien, probably farther than obvious, to calm her optimistic thrill.

The festival was an impressive event. It was organized on the largest university grounds in the city with booths of food, events, fundraisers, and games set up everywhere. Marinette twisted her neck in each direction, intrigued with the variety. There was also a large stage set up on the West side of the campus and a rides on the East side.

Marinette was surprised at the popularity of the event as well. The crowd was so dense she was shoved against Adrien twice and he was forced to catch her. Eventually he settled with touching the small of her back to keep her close. His hand brushed against her bared skin and she shivered.

"Are you cold?" Adrien asked.

"No, um, it's not that." Marinette glanced to the side and took a step closer to Adrien, feigning the motion as avoiding hitting another person. His grip wrapped around to her waist and tightened imperceptibly but she didn't get to look at him to confirm because Alya squealed ahead of them.

"I've heard about this game! Nino we have to do this! For the sake of our future."

Nino laughed. "Babe, nothing in the universe could get me away from you."

"What's this?" Marinette asked.

Tall vertical signs with hearts and couples clasping hands was in front of large event that looked to connect to a gymnasium.

A staff member rushed forward at Marinette's question and gestured dramatically to the attraction. "This is the Love Trial! Test out the strength of your relationship by running through a series of challenges. If you fail even one, you're out! Make it to the end and you win a premium ticket to tonight's concert!"

"That sounds like a breeze, right babe?" Nino said.

"We're gonna crush this!" Alya responded, grinning.

"But, you have to do everything without ever releasing your partner's hand! Do you want to try?" The employee sent a devious smile.

"Even better, I never want to leave his side anyway," Alya touted.

"Aw babe!" They make more kissing motions and insanely sweet nothings to the point that Marinette had to avert her eyes; it was worse than watching her parents.

They paid the attendant and walked on ahead, waving away their friends.

"We'll be right back, gurl!"

Marinette just stood and looked around, wondering if she and Adrien should try something else while they wait.

"Does this lovely couple want to test their strength in the Love Trial?" The attendant asked.

Marinette jolted at the question. "What? Oh no, we're not—"

"Yeah, I want to try." Adrien chimed and started digging out the money to pay him.

"Hold on a second—"

Adrien captured her hand in his larger one and humming electricity ran up her arm. It was a simple gesture yet she became cognizant to every aspect of the man next to him: he smelled of sugar and spice that was clean and intoxicating, his hand was softer than she expected but still had those rough edges around the knuckles that brushed perfectly against hers, and she could feel the soft pulse on his forearm wrapping up with her own. Her face ran hot.

"I'm, um, surprised you want to do this," she stammered.

Adrien just tilted his head nonchalantly. "We have to see if we have potential. Besides for 5 euros, this is a bargain." His mouth spread into an impish grin.

The first smile he threw at her in days and her legs felt wobbly. She pursed her lips. "Love comes cheap. How encouraging," she mumbled.

He proceeded to drag her forward, taking long strides and she stumbled to keep up. He smiled winningly, "Try not to slow me down."

She gripped his hand tighter at the dig. "You're saying you're going to hard carry us through this silly trial?"

"Well you're already struggling to keep up with me, that doesn't bode well for our chances."

Marinette flared up and jogged so she was slightly ahead and tried to increase her stride length to keep up with Adrien. A chortle resonated behind her but she ignored it and pushed through the streamers that led to the first event.

Beyond the entrance seemed to be a maze. The ceiling was hanging with various shades of red hearts, ribbons, and word cutouts with different meanings of love. The walls were also draped with arduous words in a rainbow of colors. It was so over the top, Marinette was disorientated that she entered another dimension where cupid overlords decorated the earth.

As they walked, the walls changed color based on your direction and Marinette led the way each time. They followed the color blue right, left, straight, and right again until they were faced with a girl dressed as a Lolita doll, sitting at a perfect tea set up and surrounded by teddy bears. She was so pretty and shining, Marinette had a weird premonition that the bears would jump up in unison and turn the innocent scene into a fast track nightmare.

"Visitors," the girl tittered to the bear next to her. "So blue is your take, I hope you didn't make a mistake. Your love makes you relaxed, but do you know all the facts?"

Marinette hovered awkwardly with Adrien at the edge of the table and glanced at him. He looked inordinately excited, ready to conquer the first task, which softened Marinette's hesitation. The girl gestured for them to sit at the two empty seats on the opposite end, which were so comically small, their knees tucked to their chests.

"Only one needs to know, so pick wisely, who is the one that chose blue so blindly?"

Marinette was about to reply but Adrien chirped in before her. "I did." He gave her hand a soft squeeze. "Marinette has always made me feel relaxed."

"The game is name the same. I will ask your love a question and she will tell my teddy. Then you have to answer the same on the ready or your love isn't steady."

"What did she say?" Marinette whispered.

"I have to know the answer you whisper to the teddy bear or we lose. Basically, I have to know you really well." He grinned.

Marinette understood why he volunteered and she felt a tad disappointed. It's not like she knew less about Adrien by choice, he had been avoiding her.

"You have thirty-seconds to answer each; and you cannot speak, you cannot severe. Your answers are meant to bring you together.

"Question one. Hunger games is here, no time to cheer, but to which weapon would your love adhere?"

What the hell. Marinette couldn't even comprehend her answer since it was not something she thought about. There were a million possible answers, there's no way Adrien knew. Adrien looked to the ceiling with his brows slightly furrowed. Marinette looked to the doll women who just hummed and drank some tea. She didn't want to lose on the first question, there had to be a loophole.

Then Adrien, whether consciously or not, started stroking the side of her hand with his thumb, shutting down a portion of her brain that would prefer to explore that action than win the game. Then she got the idea. She tugged his hand closer and used her other hand to stroke letters on the back of his. She hoped it was clear enough, and they were low on time so she wrote the first thing she thought of. She whispered to the teddy afterward and the girl nodded. Marinette wondered if there was a mic in the bear linked to an earpiece.

Adrien was clearly trying hard not to laugh. "A yo-yo."

"You are correct!" The girl clapped.

Marinette sighed, happy she understood the opportunity left open in the game. Holding hands was its own sort of pressure on account of the constant flutters up her arm, but having the collectiveness to caress his hand was a test of will on its own. If he was the one stroking letters on her, she would melt like wax under a flame before getting a word out.

They breezed through four more questions, Adrien shifting in his seat through each one as he was probably getting tired of the tiny chairs as she was. The girl congratulated them on their first win and put a heart sticker on Adrien's cheek. Apparently they had to accumulate three stickers before reaching the final and there were more than three challenges in the maze.

They got back to a hallway and Adrien stopped her before they continued. "Sorry, I have to get my wits together."

"What happened to all your confidence?" She teased.

"Confidence is meaningless when you can ruin me with a stroke of your finger." He tugged Marinette's hand so he was the one stroking letters on the back. As she predicted, the feeling was relentless and she stiffened her limbs from fidgeting in place.

-N-D-E-R-T-O-Y-O-U

She missed the first letters in her haze and she couldn't organize them into words. Was he trying to say something important? His stare was heavy as he watched for her reaction. Unfortunately she was lost in sensations and had no answer.

"Do I really make you feel relaxed?" she asked instead.

"Always," he purred. "I'm never afraid to be myself around you. Though you also know how to rile me up." He smirked.

Marinette doesn't know why she was stupid enough to ask that question when she felt so emotionally vulnerable. She blamed the hanging hearts and intimacy of the challenge messing with her head. She glanced at his lips, heat coiling in her stomach, and swallowed when a tingling urge close the gap hit her. Adrien apparently recovered his 'wits' and instead tugged them forward. He picked the color course this time and they ended up in walls of red.

"Love can be an uphill battle!"

"So can you scale together or will one of you bring the other down?"

The room opened up significantly for this challenge. Several exits were available outside the one they came through and in the center of it all was a tall rock wall. When Marinette looked up, it led to two bells on opposite ends and Marinette was grateful she wasn't wearing anything hard to move in.

The two who spoke were also a male and female pair and when she looked between them they were tied at the wrist with a thick ribbon.

"For this challenge," the female spoke, "you will be tied at the wrist to grab the rocks but you have to beat us to the top to be victorious."

Adrien and Marinette were outfitted into harnesses for the climb and the male tied a red ribbon tightly on their wrists. Marinette did a test tug and Adrien's hand was forced to follow without margin. If one of them fell, the other would be dragged down instantly.

"Want to get on my back?" Adrien asked.

She pursed her lips. "Not even you could scale this with one hand and extra weight."

"Did I ever mention I have a rock wall at home?"

Does he own a rollercoaster at home too? She wished she didn't believe him, rich kids like that should be left to the imagination of Hollywood, but by his cocky grin it had to be true. "You're twice my weight, I bet I could get up there faster than you could."

"You wanna race me?" His eyes lighted up.

"Bring it on, kitty cat."

They didn't even notice the other two competing against them. They scaled the rocks at a matching pace— Adrien's long limbs easily catching each rock and Marinette's small frame bouncing between footfalls. She did climb on him a few times, using his calves as an option when a rock wasn't available, and he swung her by their connected hands in retaliation.

At the last footfall, it was technically set up for them to work together, but both just looked at the other and used the momentum of their connected arms to meet in the middle, pushed up by a large rock between them ,and the bell rang with both their hands catching. Their chests bumped together, bouncing slightly before Adrien wrapped his arm around her waist so they descended with the harness. Marinette snorted before dissolving into giggles. She couldn't pinpoint a singular reason she was so amused, but being pressed against Adrien's solid chest did things to her and the only solution was to laugh joyously.

They landed on the ground and Marinette quipped, "Did you get tired halfway through, because my hand was actually on the bell first."

"I remember hauling you up to me a few times. You're heavier than I imagined."

"Says the big headed cat who skates slower than the girl half his size."

Adrien grinned. "Maybe the girl should stop giving me a big head."

Marinette bit her lip and shoved him, though he couldn't get far with the ribbon between them or his arm tightening around her. A cough behind Adrien reminded them of the other couple. They didn't comment and the male came forward and put a heart sticker on Marinette's cheek, making it their second win.

They clasped hands as the ribbon was removed and looked at their exit options. Marinette asked, "Black or green?"

"You know I'm biased."

"Green for your eyes then," she joked. Adrien tightly squeezed her hand, stroking with his thumb once again.

They followed the walls, which was a longer walk than the others, until it opened up into a food stall and several small benches around it.

"Green is growth and harmony, but even in nature chaos is natural! Can you remain in harmony after finishing this?" A man in a white apron and a t shirt with broad Japanese characters approached them and gestured at a bench. He brought a bowl of shimmering liquid with noodles a moment later.

"You have ten minutes to finish our super spicy curry noodle special!" the man exclaimed.

"Between the two of us? That's easy," Marinette commented.

Adrien sneezed after hovering over the bowl and wrinkled his nose. "I have a feeling spicy was an understatement."

"Are you too sweet for this challenge?"

"Sweet on you, yes," he said casually. "I'll try the first bite."

The attendant laid down a pair of chopsticks next to the bowl and held out a timer. "And your time starts now!"

Adrien dipped the chopsticks into the bowl and lifted out a good helping of noodles, the red sauce gleaming and dripping down the sides. He didn't even blow on it and took a decent helping into his mouth. He chewed a second, eyebrows raised— almost unimpressed— until his throat swallowed and mouth dropped to a grimace. His eyes squeezed shut, comically squishing his cheeks, and he shook his head violently.

Marinette covered her mouth, small chuckles passing her lips. "Is it bad, kitty?" She teased.

"It's like if Colin Morgan and Bradley James gave birth to a Quasar." He rushed out then puckered his lips to breathe in and out quickly, probably trying to cool his tongue.

Marinette couldn't stop the second laugh. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"All you have to know is that it's really hot. Oh my god, I don't want to put you through this." He was still shaking his head and looked comically appalled.

"Don't worry, Ladybug's got this one." She went to reach for the chopsticks until she realizes her hand was clasped to his which mean she only had her left. She never tried holding chopsticks with her left before. Adrien seemed to realize the same conundrum.

"Of course I'm living out a fantasy to feed my lady and my brain is too panicked to register the gift. Lovely," he drawled.

She snickered. "I'll give you the play by play later."

He lifted the chopsticks to her and she took the first bite. It was pretty hot but she learned over the years how to handle increasing spiciness. The flavor was pretty good too and she was hungry. She held the noodles in her mouth a moment, letting the pain register and not opening her mouth. The first bite is the hardest, she chanted for a second. Then she puckered her lips slightly to take in little bits of air to cool her tongue but for her nerves to get use to the sensation.

"Okay," she assured and tipped forward for the next bite.

Adrien continued to feed her the noodles while watching in rapt awe at her supposed skill. On her end, it was rather relaxing even with the time limit. She laughed a few times as Adrien kept nursing his tongue by sticking it out like a cat, and almost choked on a helping of noodles. She tried not to look at him when food was in her mouth after that. He retaliated at her amusement by making her chase after the chopsticks, splashing red curry on the table, even though they would lose if he kept playing around. She had half a mind to bite his fingers, cheeky cat.

"One minute!" The attendant shouted.

"Does that include the curry?" Marinette asked, having finished the noodles.

"The bowl must be clean!" he clarified.

"Adrien," Marinette gripped their hands tighter and weaved their fingers together. "You're going to have to take one for the team and drink half of it with me."

His expression was dazed, glossed over and relaxed, as he stared at her. His eyes shifted down, in the direction of her lips, and she wondered if she had stray food on her mouth.

"Adrien?"

"Um, yeah, no problem." He cleared his head with a few blinks then grinned. "After you, my lady."

He grabbed half the bowl and she held the other to tip into her mouth. Once her cheeks expanded as much as they could take, she helped him drink the other half. She tried to down her curry faster to tell him, "Don't let it touch your tongue and it won't be as bad."

When the bowl was dropped back on the table, Adrien let out a huge 'pah' noise and tears were gathering in his eyes. The attendant signaled their completion and Marinette let out a small squeal and smiled at Adrien. His eyes were shut and some perspiration was on his brow.

"You did good, partner." She bumped his arm.

He squinted around one opened eye, his cheeks flushed from the food. "I want ice cream. I deserve some bloody ice cream."

"We will definitely get the growing kitty some frozen milk," she cooed at him.

"Oh my god, you're terrible. Why do I like you."

A torrential ripple ran through her, a strong elation for the words she hoped to hear so much again. Marinette sheepishly looked down, grinning, and bumped his shoulder again, unable to find a response.

Adrien groaned as they stood, sweat coming from his forehead and Marinette couldn't help but find it amusing. She swore he was amazing at anything— its unfair how academically advantaged he was— but present spicy food and he was a whiny mess.

The attendant gave Adrien the last heart sticker and directed them to go backwards with the green walls until they saw white and that would be the final challenge.

The final room isn't even a room. A man is sitting in a chair, lounging back with a magazine in hand, next to what is presumably the exit and a bag next to him. They walked up and he scarcely glanced away from the magazine.

"White means clarity so let's see if you pass, I only have one question to ask," he sighed. "Only one can answer and you cannot discuss, so think carefully you must. What are ya both feelin'?"

Marinette blinked. That's it? That's the challenge? She felt the slight heat of them being so close and heard the slight hitch in Adrien's breathing. She knew he was feeling hot and uncomfortable after the food, which made her mouth quirk. She knew she felt...happy. Beyond happy actually, not expecting the sequence of events. But what are they both feeling?

She looked at Adrien and he was staring at her expectantly— curious even. He wanted her to answer out of the two of them. He was probably wondering what she would say. His grip shifted in her hand, squeezing encouragingly.

"W-we both feel— " She could say it now. She could admit the feelings she was scared to acknowledge. She could reassure him before she lost him. "— ready to get some ice cream. Those noodles were really hot."

Adrien chuckled but she could tell his eyes screamed disappointment, and she was resentful for chickening out.

"Tada!" The man said with a bland tone and threw confetti at them. "You've completely the Love Trial. Yadda yadda, here's ya ticket." The man presented a golden ticket and Marinette was the one to grasp it.

"That's it?" she asked.

"Most couples are complaining or arguing about something at this point. The fact that you made a joke says a lot about your relationship. Now go on, I'm readin' here."

Marinette folded the ticket and stuffed it into her back pocket. They walked outside and the brightness of the day hit her hard and she squinted with her hand raised to block the sun.

A pressure released from her other hand and she inadvertently reached out, like a part of her limb was falling off and she had to catch it. She latched to something angular and it took her a moment to look down and when she did the hair on her skin stood up and a tide of flutters hit her stomach.

She had reached for Adrien's wrist, the skin on the back of the palm even softer than the inside, which meant he must have let go. She followed the arm to Adrien's expression where he was speechless with a bemused smile. Her mouth fell to a part as she tried to say something, anything, to explain herself.

"Um, well, you see— " She finally realized she just needed to let go and she did, but the damage was done and Adrien was glowing brighter by the second.

"I'm just going to fetch a drink then I'll be right back, " he reassured her like a forlorn child seeking attention.

How embarrassing, her mind echoed a few thousand times.

She feebly nodded. He was watching her as he took a few steps away, like memorizing a snapshot, and skipped to a turn and jogged off. That was the second time Marinette could've given Adrien a hint, an absolute confession, but when push came to shove, she was too overwhelmed by her own emotions to formulate  _a word_.

Once he came back with a water bottle half drained, Adrien and Marinette decided to wander around until they bumped into their friends again. Marinette kept glancing at his empty hand.

"If you want to hold my hand, you just need to ask," he clearly teased.

Marinette's heart constricted but she steeled herself to the opportunity. She shifted her hand to grab his and tangled their fingers together. Marinette felt Adrien's hand twitch in hers. "I-is this okay?"

A small moment passed where he didn't say anything until his hand squeezed back. Marinette heard him sigh, so loud and rumbling it could've been frustration or relief. "I lost."

She looked at him, confused, and he was lifting their joined hands to flip hers and kiss the back of it tenderly. The touch scorched her skin; she suspected an imprint would remain afterwards.

"I could never deny you, Marinette."

Marinette blinked, touched and running on fire. "And I— "

"Oh, there you two are!" Alya's exclamation called across the crowd.

Marinette's heart leaped to her throat and she staggered herself in front of Adrien so their hands were out of Alya's sight. "H-hey! We couldn't find you."

"We didn't make it all the way through, unfortunately. But Nino treated me to french toast kabobs to make amends. A man that feeds his woman is true love in my opinion." She gave Nino a kiss on the cheek to emphasize. Nino squeezed her shoulder in return.

"Oh, really?" Marinette glanced behind at Adrien. "Well, I still need to treat Adrien to some ice cream, actually. He's been begging about it since you guys were gone. How about we, um, meet back together for the concert? Adrien and I can get some food and stuff."

"What? You don't want to stick together?" Alya looked confused, glancing down at Marinette's weird stance with her hands behind her back.

Marinette felt Adrien caress the inside of her forearm and she tried not to melt on the spot. "Ah, we'll feel like chopped liver anyway. You guys are kinda…"

"Disgustingly sweet," Adrien finished. "We want to remember something besides your constant kissing and cooing. No offense, Nino."

"Hey, I can't help loving my girl so much, no shame." Nino shrugged.

Alya continued to narrow her eyes at Marinette. Marinette probably should have told Alya earlier about her growing feelings but telling her now would just be insufferable. Besides she would figure it out in the next ten seconds, knowing her mind, and Marinette will hopefully be too happy to hear her gloating.

"Come on. Let's not rain on their parade," Nino said. He grabbed Alya's shoulders and tugged her around the crowd as she continued to stare down Marinette like an urgent mystery that must be solved.

Once they were out of sight, Marinette heaved a relieved sigh.

"That desperate to be alone with me?" Adrien asked next to her ear.

"Are you complaining?" She asked, her face warming.

Adrien didn't say anything and proceeded to lead them through the crowd. At first Marinette was too conscious of herself, being the one who instigated their clasped hands, but Adrien started making terrible ice cream jokes about Sundae School and she was near trying to pull away from him. He tugged her back playfully and the self doubt vanished into ethereal mirth.

They competed at a lot of booths, Adrien being terrible at games of patience, and won each other a lot of tiny prizes in white bags. They argued on whose was heavier then had an argument over weight versus quality.

They stopped at a costume booth where he bought each other's skating colors. He bought her black cat ears and she got him a Spiderman mask, since there was no ladybugs, saying it was close enough.

They didn't hold hands the entire time, but they always came back to each other by locking arms or leaning close. As they were nibbling on a meat pie and loaded fries, passing each other bites and occasionally missing to smear on the other's face, Marinette recognized that their interaction could be considered a date. At first she was flustered at the thought, but watching Adrien prattle on with bright eyes as they walked, she would be disappointed if he didn't think the same.

—-

The sun was drooping and they realized the concert would start soon. The stage was on a large open lawn and some people were already stationed in the far back on blankets and foldable chairs. Marinette presented their winning trial ticket to a volunteer and were escorted to a closed off section closer to the stage with blankets, food, couches, and drinks. She supposed they wouldn't meet up with Alya and Nino for a while.

"I don't think I mentioned how beautiful you look today," Adrien started as they sat on one of the couches. "And not just because you're dressed in my favorite outfit and wearing cat ears."

Marinette gave him a tired stare, her heart fluttering. "I like this outfit too, you know. But, thank you." She looked over the groups of couples and friends hanging out on the lawn, enjoying the waning sun and pre-show music. She looked down at her heads in her lap. "I really do want to be a designer," she admitted.

Adrien turned his head towards her, his attentive stare indicating to continue.

"You asked...why I joined the science track and it was mostly to appease my parents. So they don't have to worry about me if— I'm not good enough."

"You don't think they'll be supportive?" Adrien asked.

"No, I mean, yes, of course they would. That's how they are, but I just…it doesn't feel right."

"It doesn't feel right to do what you love?"

She squinted at her hands, trying to find the words.

"You don't have to become a perfect adult as soon as you graduate."

"I'm not trying—"

"You kinda are. Just because you don't make it big immediately doesn't mean it's wrong. It's better to try what you want now. Try it until you're tired and ready to hate it. The fact that you already have something you love is amazing. Embrace that."

Marinette burned holes into the grass, knowing what Adrien was saying was right but not ready to accept it. "I'm scared of being a burden," she whispered, her ears burning to admitting such a thing but she wanted Adrien to know. Even if he didn't have a reassurance, him understanding her would be enough.

"Then don't be stupid and do something you hate."

Surprised, she raised her head and caught his eye. His expression is brazenly cocky, but his eyes are squinted fondly. It's endearing and comforting. It filled her with a buzzing desire to soak him, to bask in his scent, his words, and soft gaze. It was not just his kindness, it's something that left her limbs loose and head woozy. It was burning a hole in her.

She leaned her head on his shoulder where he wrapped an arm around her in return. "Thanks, kitty," she whispered.

His hand squeezed her shoulder. "Anytime, princess."

"Told you not to call me that," she smiled. He can probably tell she doesn't care anymore.

"But it fits you so well. Especially when you're clutching onto me like that."

"I'm not clutching you." She tried to pull back to demonstrate but he tightened his hold and pulled her closer so her head is in the crook of his neck. "Now who is clutching who?" she teased.

"Just—hold on a second."

She can't see him but his breath was calm and his chest lax and solid against her. It felt warm, like a small home with a familiar scent, and she brought her arms up to wrap around him in turn. It almost felt like they're consoling each other for a moment, absorbing each others weight until it was just balance. She accepted it and couldn't feel any happier or peaceful.

—-

They text Nino and Alya mid way through the concert and enjoy the rest of the show with the couple before heading home for the evening. Adrien volunteered to take Marinette home and the other two didn't give a second glance.

Once they got out of Adrien's car and stood at Marinette's door, they hovered around each other at the front.

"The festival was really cool today," Marinette said.

"I'm glad we went together." Adrien smiled. "Really glad."

"I didn't think you would show up at first."

"How come?"

"You seemed pretty upset yesterday? You didn't even answer my text after Luka."

Adrien stared at her then moved forward to push a stray hair away from her cheek, a tingling impression left in its wake. "Obviously, I was sulking."

"O-over…?"

"A certain oblivious someone, I guess." He looked meaningfully at her.

Marinette took the clue and her cheeks warm. "Oh."

He took a small step towards her and cupped her cheek and behind her jaw to pull her forward. "I  _like_  you, Marinette. I hope you don't forget that."

She didn't even have a chance to respond when he kissed her cheek, the sensation burning into her brighter than the first time, and waved her away to get in his car.

She touched her cheek, elation and desire coursing through her. She had to tell him. It was one thing to keep her emotions in check from doubt, but it was cruel to not respond when it blazed through her so deeply. Next time, her nerves wouldn't get in the way.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: FINALLY!
> 
> Thank you, Saccha and TOG84~~!
> 
> I always write to improve, so comments and critiques are welcome! Please rip this to bits! Thank you!

* * *

Adrien disappeared  _again_. In classes he always looked tired and his eyes were steely as he concentrated on his work. He smiled at her now and again when he caught her worried glances, but the distance was palpable.

She wanted to talk to him, to tell him everything, but it was hard when they never had a private moment. She thought they had an amazing time at the festival, and he clearly assured his feelings, but avoiding her was a mixed signal. She missed him so much she was always in a daze and parts of her days would go missing without realizing it. They were also in the middle of the semester, the Bac looming over her shoulder, so it was hard to find any time to track down Adrien outside of school.

Then one week, Adrien missed a meet. Marinette was so stupefied, she messed up a skill on each run, eating her time and scoring her lower than usual. She didn't even care. Skating couldn't fix her unrest and even Alya commented on her sullen attitude. It was one thing to miss Adrien, but she was also worried about him. He cared about skating, he wouldn't miss it for anything and he was so distant it made her feel helpless.

She tried texting him but most responses were a couple words or an apology. She didn't know why he would need to apologize and she just wanted to talk to him for a couple minutes, which apparently was a hard sell.

Marinette was at her locker, adrift in her thoughts as she tended to be each day, when a textbook on the top shelf slipped between her hands and knocked all her papers to the ground. She didn't even blink as she went to pick them up, but she noticed photos of her and it took a moment to remember where they came from. She completely forgot about the mysterious photos at the beginning of the year and stared at one of them with a small smile. She had three meets so far and she didn't think to look for the photographer once.

As she picked them up, she noticed some of photos were flipped over and had flourished scrawl written on the back. The writing looked very familiar but she couldn't pinpoint it.

The words were arranged into letters, letters to  _her_ , signed and dated back from this summer to two years ago.

_Ladybug,_

_I don't know how you do it, but I'm at a loss when it comes to you. We hardly speak but you change the entire atmosphere with your smiles and fiery spirit. No one can keep their eyes off of you when you dance and spin, and I can't stop thinking about you beyond that. If I could get you to smile like this, I think I wouldn't want for anything else in the world._

_CN._

_Ladybug,_

_I notice you never wear your hair down, but you have the elegance and grace greater than any other girl I've ever met. Maybe it's your sense of style that makes me fall for you. Could be a family trait. If I ever see your hair down, I don't think I could stop myself._

_CN._

_Ladybug,_

_I never knew a person could have so many expressions in their body. I wish I didn't sound like a pervert when I say that because I'm hoping you would like me when we finally talk. My friends say you would break my heart, but I think they don't know you they way I know you when you skate. You give everything, and I love everything about you._

_CN._

Each note left distinct overwhelming emotions in its wake from bafflement to grudging admiration. This person was clearly passionate and familiar with her and it was excruciating that the penmanship was so familiar. Were they in her classes? Someone in her year? Marinette tucked the photos into her bag, the mystery the first thing she cared to think about since Adrien's aloofness, and prepared to think about it later.

It was that night, as she was studying, the answer to the photos came sooner than expected. She opened Adrien's notebook to review calculating axis rotations when the familiarity hit her again. She dived for her bag to dig out the photos and flipped several to compare the writing.

There was no mistaking it. "CN", Chat Noir. It had to be. She thought back to when she had the locker and she fought with Adrien. She thought he was being rude but as usual she must have misunderstood him. She had so much energy, she floundered in her chair by spinning around for a few minutes, freaking out about the revelation. Then she called Alya.

"I think Adrien likes me," Marinette started.

"Please don't tell me you just figured that out," Alya droned.

"No, I mean, he's told me, but I think he really really, likes me. Maybe even— " She didn't want to say the bigger word but from the letters and his actions since she met him, it was hard not to consider.

"He  _told_  you? When were we going to have this juicy conversation? Wait, so it really was a date at the festival?" Her voice rose into shock and excitement.

"No, it wasn't a date. Well, not technically. It felt like a date."

"Oh my god, I'm so messed up right now. So he confessed to you, you had a non-real-date, and now you're telling me you just realized he liked you. Are you taking drugs or am I taking drugs?"

"Sorry I didn't tell you before, but, right now, I'm just— " She took a heavy breath, not knowing how to describe her elation. "I just had to tell someone."

"So... you like him back?" Her voice stretched with a happy grin.

Marinette didn't think that was accurate enough. "I-I think...I might love him."

Alya screeched so loud over the phone Marinette had to pull it away, but her mind echoed the same happy sentiment.

—

Marinette stuck to Alya the next morning and they met up with Nino. Today was another competition day and they talked last night about a game plan to get Marinette to talk to Adrien. First they needed confirmation, so Marinette took the photos out of her bag and presented them to Nino.

"Have you ever seen these before?" Marinette asked.

He barely took a glance before he was half rolling his eyes. "Only a million times."

Marinette grinned. "Yeah? Who took them?"

Alya was also grinning next to her and Nino paused. "Wooah, nuh uh. I'm not falling for that. I'm a good friend."

"Not answering is also an answer, sweetie." Alya nudged his arm.

Marinette stopped listening for a moment because it felt like her heart was a volcano ready to burst. She expected it to be true, she had the evidence, but hearing it from his best friend made it much more real. Marinette might swoon.

"So is Adrien taking his skateboarding butt to the meet today?" Alya asked Nino.

Nino scratched under his cap. "I grilled him last night and he said he would. Apparently it was really important he missed the last one, but water under the bridge." He shrugged but got that same furrow whenever talking about Adrien missing skating.

Alya gave the thumbs up to Marinette. Marinette shook off her merry stupor and waved away to Nino and Alya. Now to wait for phase two.

—-

Marinette was practicing butterflies when she caught Adrien drifting into the skate park. She immediately stopped, her breath hitched and suddenly nervous, then pushed herself to meet him.

He zoned in on her immediately and beamed. "Hey."

"Hi," Marinette breathed. It was almost surreal finally speaking again, like a bit of light on a long dark winter. They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before Marinette gathered her wits. "When I skate today," she started, and the way he looked at her felt so much larger than usual, more substantial, that she drifted closer. "I don't want you to look anywhere else. Okay?"

He sucked in a sharp breath, gaze transfixed on hers and irises blown wide, before giving a slight nod. Marinette grinned and said she would see him out there before skating off. Now to the final phase.

Marinette hadn't planned a track with Nino last week as she usually did, she told him to surprise her and she'd wing it on her run. Now she hoped he didn't sabotage her with rap or country, but he knew her style so she tried to relax at the top of the ramp.

Adrien— well, Chat Noir in the letters— said he knew Marinette when she skated, and maybe that meant he understood what she felt as she moved. She hoped he could read her now. She caught Adrien's eyes on the other side of the bowl, and he watched her with a firm gaze and placid stance. He sent an encouraging grin.

Marinette touched the top of her hair, tied in a bun, and let it unravel. It fell to the middle of her back, the weight feeling a tad ridiculous. Adrien's eyes were on her, already widening and chest jutting forward in attention.

She was called for her run and a fast paced string instrument plucked a merry tune and she closed her eyes and let it soak in. She dropped down into the bowl, not feeling the concrete but pushing with her thoughts: how Adrien increased her heart rate, how his terrible flirting lifted her mood, his caring nature, those bright eyes. She knew she asked for his attention, but she also wanted to capture it. To entrap him as he trapped her without realizing it. Her hair turned in wild ribbons and her body screamed desire and joy.

He was standing at the edge of the bowl, as most teammates did, and she bent her pointer finger in an inviting gesture as she did a fast glide on the side of a ramp. Adrien didn't waver and drifted to the edge in a riveted daze.

She glided up to the lip of the bowl and ground the edge so she drifted directly towards him. She reached out to bunch the front of his shirt, slowing her speed but bringing him forward, and brought her mouth to hit his cheek. Of course she'd never done that trick before and missed by a beat and hit the corner of his mouth instead.

The audience roared into hoots and whistles at the action, but Marinette was too focused on Adrien. Her lips tingled and she wished she missed just a tad more and didn't have to finish her run. Adrien looked star struck when she had to pull away to dive back into the bowl.

When the music stopped and they called her name again to announce her completion, the yells and catcalls didn't cease and she looked sheepishly in Adrien's direction. The guys were patting his back and congratulating him but he was zeroed in on her alone and didn't look back on any of them.

She skated to a more barren section of the park and Adrien picked up his board and quickly jogged after her.

"Hey, it's, um, almost your turn," she said, feeling inexplicably flustered.

"Say it."

"What?" Marinette's face flashed warm.

"I want to hear you say what that meant, because I'm half scared I'm imagining you right now. "

Marinette darted her eyes down and up again. "I-I got your letters." She watched him furrow his brows and clarified, "On the back of the photos you took."

He took a beet red complexion in an instant, his mouth clammed shut and Adam Apple bobbing. Marinette saw Adrien flush before but this was a new extreme, an attractive extreme, that was endearing and so obvious how much he liked her. She felt stupid for not accepting him sooner.

"And you're not imagining anything. I like you. Fell for you, actually."

Adrien's expression fell deathly serious then. He dropped his board and closed their distance so he cradled her face. His thumb stroked her cheek and her eyes drooped, melting into the motion. "It's still very, awfully, terribly possible I'm dreaming this all up."

"Well, there's  _one_  way to find out." She smirked, staring at him under her lashes.

He tilted his head forward but a blaring announcer called his name for his run and he clenched his eyes shut and tilted his head to bump against hers. "I would do anything to skip this and run away with you," he grumbled.

"Then make it quick."

His eyes flashed open and his cocky grin returned. "Watch me?"

His run was pure theatrics. He winked at her, pointed at her before each big move, and didn't care about flow or matching the music. It was practically a companion piece to her run and near the end he also gestured an invitation to the edge of the bowl and she laughed as she obliged him.

He ran out of time the moment he finished grinding the lip and stopped in front of her to grab the back of her neck and dragged her forward for a proper kiss. Well, honestly, there was nothing proper about it as it surged down her body and curled her toes.

The crowd whistled, woofed, and jeered again but it was muffled and inconsequential to devoting her spirit to loving Adrien instantly and enduringly. She wrapped her arms around him and he dramatically tipped her back. She broke the kiss to laugh.

"Can we go somewhere else now?" He rumbled next to her ear.

"Please."

Adrien hopped on his board, grabbed her hand, and dragged her away.

—-

Marinette would describe their kissing as insistent. They were insistent for twenty minutes around the pillar of an empty street a few blocks from the competition. Adrien caressed her arms and did reverent strokes through her hair while he devoured her and she bathed under the attention.

"I can't believe you read those notes. I'm horrified," he said between kisses.

"I loved them." Marinette stroked the shell of his ear as she said it.

Adrien's mouth quirked. "Maybe I should have told you they were mine the first day. We could've done this months ago."

"No, I would've thought you were more of a creep."

"Oh right, I forgot." He took a ribbon of her hair and twirled it around his finger. "You  _hated_  me."

"Shut up, no I didn't," she chuckled and pinched his shoulder. "I thought you were obnoxious. Which you still are, by the way."

"And I promised I would make you fall for me," he rumbled, clearly proud and satisfied.

"Took you awhile."

"But I have you now." He stroked her face and marveled at her. "I have you."

"Yeah, you do." Marinette smiled, stroking angles of his face and admiring his soft expression. It reminded her that she hadn't seen him relaxed in a while. "Where have you been the past few weeks? After the festival, I was really worried."

Adrien sighed against her ministrations, looking as content as a well kept cat. "I was building up time, actually. I have this... deal with my father that I made to go to school. For the extra time I put outside the house, I have to pay him back with time for modeling or extra studies or whatever he wants of me."

"What?" Marinette said. "That's completely unfair. Doesn't that wear you down?"

"It's not so bad." Adrien shrugged. "It's routine for me. I'm sorry I had to push you away, but I was worried one word from you would break me down. I relax around you too easily."

"So I've heard. What were you building time for?"

Adrien grinned. "You."

"M-me?"

"After the festival— I knew you felt something, even if you weren't ready to tell me. And I thought— " An irritated shadow passed his eyes. "I thought you were still in love with Luka and maybe I just needed to work a little more and...wow, this is embarrassing."

"Adrien I—" She smiled and shook her head. "Luka and I are just friends. And, no offense to him, but he wouldn't stand a chance against you." She stroked his face and he nuzzled into her hand with a peck and a smile. "Why didn't you tell me before? About your dad?"

Nino had pointed out that Adrien disappeared every semester. Maybe it wasn't common knowledge but she would've thought Adrien would open up to her.

"Maybe I didn't want to mix you up with my family life. I wanted to keep you separate, special." He looked at her and his expression melted to fondness. "Maybe I didn't want to see you make this face at me, to burden you." He stroked her cheek and brow to sooth the scrunched expression and the fire squelched her worries and left only soft warmth and expanding adoration.

"You're the best use of my time, Marinette," he whispered.

Expanding love and glee went through her. "Due to the laws of equivalent exchange, I guess I'll have to give you all of mine."

"Perfect, because I have several thoughts on the future already."

"Oh, do you?"

"Our house is going to include an indoor skatepark where we'll host parties with all our friends. We're going to watch all of my favorite anime shows for hours, while you pretend to love it, while sleeping in my lap and I stroke your hair. We're going to learn dancing together, because I have a feeling you're wonderful at it no matter how clumsy you claim to be. You'll become a world renowned designer and half your outfits will be dedicated to me, your devoted and handsome lover- physicist. You're also going to learn I'm an amazing cook but you'll be the baker getting me too fat to be a model, which is fine by me— "

Marinette blinked. "Wow, you really have thought of a few things."

Adrien only looked half timid. "I've had a lot of time to think about it."

"I guess I'll just have to catch up." Then she kissed him until the golden hour, the sun waning into the horizon, but thought of their future where everything burned brighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I love being done lol I really do.
> 
> Ok, what have I learned from this story: Outlining has its own troubles and benefits, just like winging it. Fluff will have many many repeat internal sensations lol Pacing can be hard in the face of plot holes. Gotta work on emotive writing, being prolific is not innate haha.
> 
> Overall the story was super worth to learn a ton of things about process. I took it slightly less serious than my first multi-fic but added some challenges that failed in the first one.
> 
> I love and appreciate everyone commenting and encouraging and adding the feedback that satiates my will to write more things.
> 
> Love, love you all <3 I hope you had fun and this added joy to this crazy twilight dimension we call everyday life.


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